


I Can Schnee the Ending!

by Inthretis



Category: RWBY
Genre: Comedy, F/M, God-Tier Chapter Titles, Inspired by The World God Only Knows, Not a Harem, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Weiss is Weird, dating sims
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:08:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 45,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26452375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inthretis/pseuds/Inthretis
Summary: Jaune Arc was the perfect Galge protagonist, and he didn't know it. Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Corporation and self-proclaimed Goddess of Dating Sims, was not going to let him squander his gifts. Shenanigans, love, and a bunch of other things ensue.
Relationships: Jaune Arc & Weiss Schnee, Jaune Arc/Blake Belladonna, Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos, Jaune Arc/Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc/Yang Xiao Long, Lie Ren/Weiss Schnee
Kudos: 13





	1. Enter the Mentor! Birth of the Heartthrob Knight?! Pain of the White-Haired Girl, Stupidity of the Blond Boy! Achieve Your Dream, Weiss-chan!

Chapter One: Enter the Mentor! Birth of the Heartthrob Knight?! Pain of the White-Haired Girl, Stupidity of the Blond Boy! Achieve Your Dream, Weiss-chan!

* * *

Jaune Arc, Inter-kingdom Man of Romance, was on top of the world. He'd finally won his first match in the ring, he got an A- on an exam, and he came up with a great idea to court Weiss!

Yes siree, this was a great day in the making. He was on a roll. As he sauntered down the hallway, Pyrrha came up to him, "You did good today Jaune. I'm very proud of what you've accomplished."

"Thanks Pyr, I couldn't have done it without your help. You're a great teacher," Jaune smiled back at her.

Pyrrha's cheeks grew red, "What are you doing now?"

"I've got an idea," he said, "To ask Weiss out."

She chuckled, "Well I hope everything works out well for you. Weiss'll be lucky to date you."

Her eyes lingered on Jaune before she waved goodbye, "Good luck!"

"Thanks!" Jaune waved back and continued walking down the hall. Just a moment later, he passed by Ruby, "Hey Ruby!"

"Hi Jaune!" Ruby gave him two thumbs up, "Third time's the charm!"

"Hope so too," Jaune chuckled. The first two times, Weiss rolled her eyes, glared at him, then bluntly declined. But this time was going to be different, he could feel it.

Yang walked up and grabbed Ruby by the elbow, "Come on the Bullhead leaves for Vale in five minutes!"

"Whoops!"

Jaune waved at Yang, who waved back as well. He kept moving his feet down the hallway, passing more of his friends.

"Hey Ren, Nora."

"Hi Jauney! Bye Jauney!" Nora exclaimed as Ren nodded. Jaune nodded back as well. He was pretty sure they were going to the kitchen again.

He closed his eyes and began humming a ditty, swinging his legs down the hall. Then he hit something and fell.

Papers flew everywhere as Jaune fell onto his back. He looked around to see Glynda Goodwitch picking up her documents, while giving Jaune a dark stare. He quietly yelped before grabbing some of the papers on the ground, "Sorry Ms. Goodwitch."

"Pay attention to where you're walking, Mr. Arc," Jaune winced slightly. As all the papers were gathered and the two blondes stood up, Glynda spoke, "That being said, I wish to congratulate you for your first victory. You have improved most excellently, Jaune Arc."

Jaune swore he saw the barest smile on her lips before she passed him. Huh. His luck with the ladies today was great! This was a great sign!

As he approached the Beacon post office, he saw Blake exiting, carrying a new book in her arms as Sun Wukong talked animatedly into her ear.

A human one. Jaune wasn't sure if Blake could actually hear through those ribbons. What was hearing through four ears like? He shook his head. No time for distractions! Eyes on the prize!

He walked into the room and spotted a beautiful cascade of white, flowing from a fountain atop the most gorgeous head on Remnant. Weiss was waiting in line at the Beacon postal office to receive a package. He walked over to her and spoke.

"Hey Snow Angel, what are you doing tonight?" to say Jaune Arc had a crush was an understatement. He was head over heels with Weiss, the woman of his dreams.

He put his hand on the wall, giving him a cool posture that would totally make him look cool, "I was wondering if you and I could do something fun later."

She raised an eyebrow at him, keeping up her frown of disinterest, which hey! Was an improvement from a scowl or look of mild disdain, "No. I'm quite busy tonight."

Weiss was always busy, but it was never something important, at least that's what Yang said. Apparently Weiss spent a lot of time in her bed under her sheets.

Which meant she was actually free!

"How 'bout this, you, me, and a stack of comics under the candlelight?" Romantic, fun, and discreet, all in one. It was perfect!

Weiss blinked. Then the slightest sneer came on her face, "Such low brow entertainment. No."

Jaune visibly deflated as Weiss was called up by the clerk.

As she signed for her package, she spoke, "Not enough accumulated reasons for me to even consider your confession. I've no reason to even give you the time of day."

Weiss shook her head, "If you want a target to fall for you, you have to work within their parameters, not your own."

He paused as the gears turned in his head. Wait, was Weiss… giving him dating advice?!

"... What?"

"Also! I let you off easy the first two times, thinking it was just a minor annoyance. But frankly, after your second attempt, I began formulating and compiling a list of everything wrong with your method," Weiss raised a finger as she grabbed a colorful box with several attractively drawn men on it.

"First your base charisma stat is subpar at best, and you of course aimed for the higher difficulty target," she pointed towards herself, "When there are other lower level targets to conquer and gain experience from."

"Wait, 'lower level targets'?"

"Second, as I've said, you have put zero effort into increasing your odds of a successful confession by blatantly ignoring the obvious quests to buff your understanding and character profile!" Weiss pointed a finger at him, directly in front of his eyes, "Also, I ask you, what are my interests? My hobbies? Birth date? Favorite food, favorite drink, favorite color?"

Jaune drawled out, "White?"

Weiss glared at him.

He began sweating, "Aren't those things you find out on the first date?"

"Spoken like a true ignoramus, bumbling around with not a conquest to his name, and yet bemoaning his failures but still keeping up the same tactics. Some say insanity is performing the same action again and again, hoping for different results," Weiss stared him down.

He furrowed his brow, "Wait, you've… 'conquered' before?"

A proud smile erupted on Weiss' face as she closed her eyes, "Of course. I am recognized as the highest among my rank, Remnant's premier Conqueror of Love by a 95% margin! Nay, I am not just a mere 'Conqueror', I am the Goddess of Conquest herself!"

"... The what now?"

Weiss frowned, "You know nothing about me, yet you deigned to attempt a courtship. You really are a bumbling idiot."

"Well I want to try to get to know you—"

Weiss shoved her box into his face, "The Collector's First Edition of Tenisu Ai to Dansei! Only one hundred of these exist, one of the greatest Otome games of the last decade. I've played the second edition before, but this one contains the original dialogue for Kuro-Kun's route, the fabled best route in the entire franchise!"

She pointed a finger to the ceiling, "This is my fate! My interest! My passion! To know not of this is to not know me! You will never romance me, nor anyone else with your current level!"

Jaune placed his head in his palms, "Why does this always happen to me? Why?!"

"Because, as with all things, you have not put in enough effort into this. Everything requires studying, practice, and strategy. Dating simulations are the greatest virtual testament to that. Becoming a huntsman or huntress is merely the physical application of it in the real, 3D world."

Weiss put her box into her bag, "Think about it, Pyrrha asks you to study Grimm and tactics, while you practice fighting styles and war plans in preparation for actual combat. Playing dating sims is the same principle."

Jaune folded his arms, "So, what? I should just buy some dating sims and spend days on end playing them to get better at women?"

"Hardly," Weiss began walking out of the post office, with Jaune following to her left, "I have already obtained quite a bit of knowledge from my time as a gamer. Therefore, you have no need to sink in two thousand plus hours of gameplay to become a master. All you need is some mentorship."

"Wait," Jaune squinted, "Are you… offering to help me woo ladies?"

When Weiss nodded back, Jaune simply asked, "Why?"

Weiss gave a wide smile, "Why, it is every gamer's dream to take part in a real life game. For you," she lightly pointed her finger at him, "Are quite possibly the closest thing to a real life dating sim protagonist. Why shouldn't I help out a struggling noob? As the world's greatest, it is my duty to do so!"

She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him down the hall, "Come! I have the perfect tutorial for you!"

"Aaagh! Weiss! Stop, I'm gonna trip!" Jaune yelled as his feet threatened to twist over himself.

"Wow, you don't even need to try, do you?" Weiss laughed as the two of them made their way to the dorms.

**END PROLOGUE**

**Continue?**

* * *

**From the Author of _Remnant Reborn: Love Conquers All_ & _Fate/Two Bros_**

**With Special Chapter Titles written by the Author of _Daily Life with Monster Daughters_ & _Centaur of Attention_ , The Immortal Doctor Reid**

**Critics Rave:**

**"Pfffffffffttt. This is so dumb it warps back around to awesome. I like it."**

**-Legionary Guard**

**Placeholder Name Productions Presents**

**I Can Schnee the Ending!**

* * *

**Press 'Next' to continue.**


	2. The Red-Haired Girl is Lovesick?! Champion's Spirit! Maiden's Heart! The Tutorial Starts Here, Jaune-kun!

Chapter Two: The Red-Haired Girl is Lovesick?! Champion's Spirit! Maiden's Heart! The Tutorial Starts Here, Jaune-kun!

* * *

"Why are we hiding?" Jaune asked as Weiss shushed him. They hid under a stand in the training arena as they spied on a woman training alone. They were able to sneak in as several students walked through the door to the locker rooms.

"Seriously, why are we doing this? Pyrrha's my partner and I thought we were going for the uh, what did you call it?"

"Tutorial. And we are! You're looking at her."

"How is Pyrrha the tutorial?"

"Ugh!" Weiss facepalmed quietly, lest their tutorial catches on to them, "Have you seen the way she looks at you?"

Jaune just stared at her, "Looked at me how?"

"You know," Weiss gesticulated with her left hand, "Her eyes linger on you whenever you talk, even when you finish a conversation, how she always helps you out and encourages you."

"Pyrrha's nice," Jaune shrugged as they both sat behind the wooden stands.

"No you idiot! She likes you!"

"Sure she does, we're partners."

"Aaaaggghh!" Weiss groaned into her palms, "She like-likes you. A crush, she has feelings, amour, affection, infatuation, do you understand?" she grabbed onto his shoulder and shook it. Hard.

"Ah! Yes! At least some of those words!" Jaune shrieked.

"Good!" Weiss snarled.

"Hello? Is someone there?" Pyrrha stopped her exercises and asked the seemingly empty arena. Weiss clamped a slender hand over Jaune's mouth and shushed him.

Her eyes glared daggers at him, commanding him to "stay down, keep quiet, and listen!" without an actual word said.

Then, she stood up from her spot and faced Pyrrha, "Hi Pyrrha! Sorry to bother you. But you know how it is," she rolled her eyes, "Your blonde idiot of a partner asked me out again. It's grating on my nerves to say the least. I have to know what you see in him. Because for the life of me, I can't see beyond his annoying generic blandness."

Pyrrha's eyes lit up, "Oh! Well, I'm surprised you're asking."

Weiss waved her hand, "No no, it's overdue. He's attempted three times now, and I must know what you see in him, because I'm barely getting anything besides an annoying swagger and overconfidence on par with his incompetence."

"Well it's simple, Weiss," Pyrrha carefully placed down Milo and Akouo on a nearby weapons rack, "All of those weaknesses you've listed, I don't see them as such. In my eyes they are endearing qualities and obstacles to overcome."

"I simply don't follow."

"What you see as incompetence I see as potential. A determination to grow stronger and learn, even if he can procrastinate quite a bit," she smiled, "He's the weakest in our year, but you've seen him improve yourself. He won his first match today after all."

"A man with potential in fighting does not equal a worthy suitor," Weiss said. Then she frantically motioned with her arms for Jaune! To! Get! Back! Down! while Pyrrha was luckily looking in the opposite direction.

Once Jaune was under the stand again, Weiss continued, "You're going to have to try harder than that."

Pyrrha turned around and smirked, "Well, he has the most charming personality. He's a goofball, a really lovable one. He's sweet, kind, and always tries to help whenever he can, even when it's difficult. Overcoming obstacles is how he lives, even if it's the obstacles of others. Jaune is a great friend."

"I see. Thank you for enlightening me," Weiss nodded before walking back to the stand, where Jaune was right below.

She sat down in it and pulled out her scroll and pretended to read her notes. Weiss handed her scroll to Jaune, which read "Wait for a distraction."

"How long will that take?" he hissed at Weiss, who kicked him.

"Shush and wait," Weiss said through closed teeth. She then began to do actual schoolwork with the binder she brought with her.

Jaune grumbled and waited. A minute passed before the door opened and Glynda Goodwitch entered. She walked down the aisles of stands and approached Pyrrha, "Miss Nikos, do you have a moment to spare? There is something I need to ask of you."

"Now!" Weiss quickly whispered as she closed her binder. Jaune quietly escaped from underneath the stand and they ran for the door.

Once outside, Weiss stopped to point back in Pyrrha's direction, "There we go, a quick summary of everything Pyrrha feels about you. No need to change much of yourself either. She truly is a tutorial."

"Yeah except she just likes me as a friend," Jaune replied.

"Oh Jaune. Simple, naïve Jaune," Weiss patted his shoulder, "You only heard the text. What you need to look for is the subtext. Read between the lines. 'He's a goofball, a really lovable one.' Lovable, hear that? Sweet, kind helps others. That's you."

She turned to face him and poked him in the chest, "You've already got the tutorial's affection meter maxed out. All you need is to push and you're in. One thing to tip the balance."

"What thing?" Jaune scratched the back of his head.

"Ask her out. Not as a friend, but with clear romantic intentions."

"What?! I can't do that!"

"Why not? You do it all the time to me."

"Three times! And no, it's just, well, doing it could ruin our friendship!"

"Oh? Is your relationship with the tutorial that flimsy that it can't handle a little embarrassment?"

"Why do you keep calling her that?"

"Answer the question, Jaune."

"Yes. No. I don't know. We've fought together, we study and live together, and we've done that for months but, this is different. It's a big change," he was now scratching the back of his head with both hands.

"You can never succeed if you never try," Weiss declared, pumping her fist to the ceiling and keeping her stern expression.

Jaune sighed, "Fine, I'll ask Pyrrha out."

"Yes you should. And none of that swaggerly nonsense you pulled on me either. Just ask her out to the movies, just the two of you. And stress that it isn't as 'just friends'."

Jaune frowned.

"Say it's a date, nimrod."

"Oh. Okay," he paused, "Now?"

"No not now! Wait until Goodwitch has left, then wait at least an hour otherwise Pyrrha might connect the dots back to me," Weiss said.

"So what do you want to do for an hour then?"

Weiss shrugged, "I'm going to go and finish the first three routes of Tenisu Ai to Dansei. You're welcome to watch."

Jaune scratched his neck and waved, "No, but thanks. I'm going to psych myself up for this. Wish me luck?"

"No. You don't need luck."

"Thanks I guess."

"Not to you, you've been unintentionally filling out her meter since you met her. That's no feat. But I am confident that my discernment of your relationship is accurate. Now, wait an hour and go get 'er."

* * *

The pressure was real. It was a steady pressure that Jaune could feel in his chest, although much different than Pyrrha stepping on his sternum after winning a spar. Good times.

It was always a light step, and Pyrrha only really did it to stop him from rolling after she pummeled him to the ground.

… Anyway, he was nervous. He fidgeted with his uniform and the earpiece Weiss had given him. She was sitting in a nearby room, scroll in hand as she played through her blasted dating sim.

"I'm going in Weiss."

"Go on ahead," he could still hear the faint sounds of beeping.

"As our protagonist entered the training arena, his eyes laid upon the red-haired amazon that he called 'partner'. For she was truly the embodiment of the ideal huntress: strong, capable, caring, cunning. She moved with grace as her shield blocked the incoming projectiles and parried the others with her blade. As she swung with all her might, came a fluid motion that accentuated different parts of her body one after another, from her powerful arms to her well-sculpted shoulders, down to her voluminous—"

"Weiss shut up," Jaune whispered as he walked down to the stage.

As he approached, Pyrrha stopped dodging projectiles and turned off the machines. She turned around and smiled at him, "Hello Jaune. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine, Pyr. I just have something to ask you, is all."

"What is it Jaune? I always have time for you," her smile gave off such radiance that even Weiss felt it despite being in a different room and only has access to audio.

He took a breath, held it, then…

"Jaune, exhale," Weiss berated.

He did. Then he took another breath, "Pyrrha, I've been doing some thinking, and um," he scratched the back of his head again.

"Yes?" Pyrrha placed her weapons on a nearby rack, then walked right up in front of him.

"Do you want to go to the movies with me sometime?" he blurted out. He took another breath and added, "Not with friends like Ren and Nora, just the two of us and we could call it a date?"

A moment passed. Silence. Pyrrha had a quizzical look on her face.

Then, she smiled. But it wasn't her usual smile. No, Jaune knew that smile. It was the same smile his parents made when he was younger, back when he told them he wanted to be a huntsman.

It was also the same smile his sisters made when they were asked out.

He knew where this was going.

"I'm sorry Jaune. I really like you, but you're like," she made light gestures with her fingers, as if trying to explain herself through sign language, "You're my best friend. You're like a brother to me."

His shoulders drooped as the words hit him. This was worse. Worse than any rejection Weiss ever gave. He… he thought he had a chance.

Weiss took it worse, "This can't possibly be right. She's the tutorial! What on Remnant is going on? She's gone off script, off the mark!" Jaune heard an electronic screech in his ear.

"Jaune? I'm sorry," Pyrrha pursed her lip, "I hope this doesn't make things worse for us. I'm just not looking for a relationship now."

"No, no," Jaune waved his hand, "It's my fault. I was the one who asked. I just heard from… someone that you liked me in that way."

Pyrrha giggled, her hand reaching to her mouth, "Oh Jaune, you really shouldn't believe everything you hear," she shook her head, "I swear, people get the strangest ideas in their heads."

"Heh, yeah," Jaune said, "I'm gonna go now. There's something I need to do."

"I hope you have a better time than right now," Pyrrha waved him goodbye. He waved back.

Jaune left the training arena and stood against the wall. He sighed. Then he pulled out his scroll and called Weiss.

No answer. He frowned then called Ruby.

"Hey Jaune. What's up?"

"Have you seen Weiss?"

"Yeah actually. She just rushed into our dorm and took a bunch of supplies. Even my cork board and red string! Then she muttered something and left. I think she's going to the library."

"Thanks."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, just some romance troubles."

"Bleh," he could hear Ruby fake gagging, "No thanks. Bye."

"Bye," he hung up his scroll and began walking.

Why did he feel this way? Just an hour ago, he never thought of Pyrrha like that. And neither did she, as it turns out. Before, he was chasing Weiss, and Weiss alone. Now… he wasn't sure anymore.

Weiss was wrong.

He entered the library and looked around for her. He scanned the large room before walking towards the quieter, more hidden sections. Walking led him to pass by Blake poring over her new book in a little nook.

In the farthest corner he found her. Weiss was scribbling notes onto Ruby's cork board, each one tied with string. Well, scribbled as in quickly. They were way neater than anything he could write up.

She looked up at him and gave a manic grin, "Jaune! I've figured it out! I know what happened out there."

Weiss took him by the hand and sat him down in front of the board.

"See, most games utilize an affection meter to represent one's relationship status to a girl. That seemed to be the case for Pyrrha, but in light of new evidence, she must actually be operating on a different model!" Weiss tapped the board, "The vast majority of dating sims use the one meter approach for affection, as it allows for simple and easy understanding of one's standing."

She then pointed at an image of a halfway filled up meter, "Filling it up means the other person likes you more and more in general. It works on the theory that one's feelings and emotions for another exists on a fluid spectrum, that feelings of trust and companionship can easily bleed and change into something more. However, there are other theories."

Weiss then tapped the image next to it showing two meters, one filled and one empty, "There are other schools of thought, such as this one, where individual emotions are considered discrete from one another. For example, a person can be a friend with no romantic affection, or a romantic partner while not necessarily being good friends."

"This model is a perfect representation of Pyrrha's current feelings to you. You've maxed out her friendship meter, but haven't done anything to fill up the romance meter."

Jaune nodded, "She sees me as a friend."

Weiss slapped his shoulder, "Exactly! Which is why we must begin working to increase her second meter."

"How?" Jaune asked.

A grin spread on Weiss' face. Jaune did not like that grin.

* * *

"Hey Pyrrha."

"Hello Jaune."

"I got something for you."

"What is it— oh!" Pyrrha took the splendid bouquet of red and yellow flowers, "Well this is very sweet Jaune, but um—"

"No don't worry, Pyr. This is just thanks," Jaune smiled, "For everything. Really. Being a great partner, a great friend, and a great tutor. No hard feelings?"

She giggled as she took the bouquet, "None. Do you want to train later?"

Jaune shook his head, "Sorry, I've got another tutor for today," he pointed at Weiss, "It was her idea. Something about giving me a chance?"

Pyrrha smirked, "Oh really? That sounds grand. I hope you have a fun time."

"I hope so too," Jaune leaned in and whispered, "Weiss is uh, intense. And I want to say passionate?"

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow, "Really now? In what way?"

"She has very opinionated views on almost everything," he said.

"It's true!" Ruby came up to them, "She's like Yang but with fancy words! Nothing stops her."

"She is not!" Yang ran up to Ruby, "She's worse. Jaune, you're so boned when you two start training. I've had to do a hundred single finger pushups for each finger. Ruby may be our leader, but Weiss is the coach."

Blake flipped a page.

Pyrrha rubbed her chin, "Now I want to see her workout regimen. It sounds interesting for certain."

"Did I hear Pyrrha wanting to train with me?" Weiss popped between Jaune and Pyrrha, placing an arm on one of each shoulder, "I'm terribly busy, what with my team's, my own, and now Jaune's training."

"I don't want to intrude, but I would be delighted with simply watching," Pyrrha's eyes twinkled.

"Very well. Tonight at six, Training Room Seven. You can fill me in on Jaune's progress thus far," Weiss nodded.

"Indeed I shall," Pyrrha looked into Weiss' eyes, who stared back.

Jaune laughed mildly, "Ah thanks you guys. It really means a lot."

"Oh no you don't Jaune. You only won your first match by a combination of luck and grit. Barely by the skin of your teeth. Against Dove," Weiss glanced at Pyrrha.

"It is a start," Pyrrha replied, "He's come a long way."

"But there is much to be improved upon," Weiss declared, "Quite a lot in fact."

* * *

Weiss daintily ate her sandwich as she waited for Jaune and Pyrrha to arrive. The awkwardness was now gone between the two of them, and were close friends again.

The question was, how to get him out of the Friend Zone? She pondered the problem and had a solution. Several, in fact. Just to be safe.

Jaune and Pyrrha soon arrived in the combat outfits, ready to spar. Weiss stood up and greeted them both, first talking with Pyrrha about strategy. After a while, she handed Jaune two small canisters of fire dust to put in his pocket. In secret. Super secret. With ear whispers and a wink.

First Weiss sparred with Pyrrha, and obviously lost. It wasn't a complete failure, as Weiss was able to dip Pyrrha's aura down a whole twenty percent!

Then it was Pyrrha and Jaune once again. As Weiss sat down to observe, she waited for the moment. The moment when Jaune would take out one of the fire dust canisters Weiss gave him and use it to startle Pyrrha, giving him a momentary advantage.

Hah! No, Weiss actually anticipated Jaune would mess up and have it blow up in his face. If he did use it competently, Weiss would just trigger the "accidental" malfunction button. If that failed, then the canister he didn't use would explode from contact with Pyrrha's magnetic field. Either way, her plan would work.

As Jaune very closely dodged Pyrrha's strike, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out the canister. He held it out in front of him a pressed the button. The entire canister burst into flames, enveloping Jaune's arms, spreading over his body.

He yelped, but the wave of fire quickly flashed over him and snuffed out. The briefest second passed as he realized he was fine. Then he started panicking.

His shirt had melted off. The straps of his armor were burnt to a crisp and snapped, leading to his breastplate hitting the floor.

The entire font side of his body was now in plain view of his partner standing in front of him, gaping.

Weiss peered over and thought the redness on Pyrrha's cheeks wasn't bright enough. So she set off the second canister in Jaune's back pocket.

Or she tried to at least. Unfortunately for her, the mechanism in the canister was unresponsive. Well, the dust grenades were experimental after all. Fifty percent reaction was good enough, if the slowly increasing redness on Pyrrha's face was any indicator.

Weiss jumped down to the stage and said, "I will admit, you have decent latissimus dorsi."

Pyrrha's cheeks were redder than her hair.

* * *

Ren came into the arena holding a spare shirt. He looked upon the scene before him: a Pyrrha with her face in her hands, a Jaune with his hands over his chest and a smirking Weiss who was also chortling.

He raised an eyebrow as Weiss walked up to him.

"Should I ask?"

"You could if you want to, but I doubt you'd understand my machinations."

He glanced at them then back at the heiress, "You wanted Pyrrha to see him as more than a friend, correct?"

Weiss' smirk grew wide, "Oh that is indeed. Perhaps you have potential of your very own," she took the clothing, "Tata, Ren."

Ren rolled his eyes and left the arena. Weiss hummed as she handed the shirt over to Jaune. She loudly exclaimed, "I'm so sorry! I was given these experimental dust grenades to try, and I hoped Jaune could use them in a spar. I'm so sorry this happened!"

Pyrrha was frowning. Then she glanced at Jaune putting his shirt over his abs and blushed before turning away, "It is alright Weiss. His aura protected him and there was no harm done besides some lost clothes."

"And my armor too," he grumbled.

Pyrrha turned to him, her cheeks still burning red, "We can always buy new ones, what matters is you're safe."

Weiss smiled once more, "Money is no object. I must take responsibility, since it was my dust grenade after all."

Jaune rolled his eyes at that, "Schnee quality product, eh?"

"Oh like anything else you have is better," she crossed her arms.

"Back home in Ansel, everything is homemade or at least sourced from an independent maker. Because you don't need a big company to make a sword."

"But you do need one for your scroll," Weiss shrugged.

"Not dissing big companies, only yours."

"Hah! SDC is best C," Weiss exclaimed.

"... What?" both Jaune and Pyrrha looked at Weiss with confusion.

Weiss sighed, "Nevermind. My cultured expressions are beyond you."

Jaune rolled his eyes as hard as he could, "Sure."

* * *

The next day, Jaune was slightly more prepared. He knew about the flaming canister, but he did not see the clothelessness happening. When Weiss texted him "Drastic measures are about to unfold.", he did not expect that.

And so morning came after another awkward-but-in-a-completely-different-way night in the JNPR dorm, as well as some ribbing from Nora, both Teams JNPR and RWBY sat down for breakfast.

Jaune sat diagonally from Pyrrha and next to Ren, an unspoken agreement between the team. All except for Nora.

"So how was it?" she nudged Pyrrha with her elbow, "Come on, I wanna know! Does he have a twelve-pack? Are his pecs shaped like sunny-side-up eggs? Is he an innie or an outie?"

"I don't know, I turned away right as the flames died down," Pyrrha said. That was her story and she was sticking to it.

"Suuuuuuuure you didn't," Nora munched on her sunny-side-up eggs.

Pyrrha sighed and continued eating her fruit. As she did so, Weiss spoke up, "Again, I apologize. Perhaps I shouldn't have used prototype technology that was only recently developed."

"You should!" Yang grinned, "It's still the riskiest thing I've seen you do outside of hunting."

As the two girls bickered, Jaune looked up at Pyrrha, who was pointedly avoiding looking in his direction. He sighed. Then his scroll rang.

He took it out and glanced at the text message he received. It read: "This is only the beginning."

He sighed just a bit harder.

* * *

The next week for him was a barrage of training with Weiss and attempting to "boost the meter" with Pyrrha. When training physically in a spar, Weiss would multitask and shout out the next day's plans as they traded blows.

Or rather, as Weiss struck Jaune in multiple parts of his body repeatedly. His face most often.

The first day of the week, after morning classes had ended, he grabbed Pyrrha by the hand and brought her to a secluded place in the Beacon courtyard.

"Jaune, what are we doing here?" Pyrrha asked.

"Well, I was cooking earlier…" Jaune started. At the look Pyrrha gave, he rolled his eyes, "Come on, I have seven sisters. You pick things up with them around. I can name every Princess Poppy toy on the market thanks my youngest sis, Cerise."

Pyrrha shrugged, "I wouldn't know. Only child."

"It's a mixed bag," Jaune laughed, "But because of it, I cooked some food early this morning before I trained, and I have a lot of leftovers," he pulled some plastic containers from his bag, "Want some?"

She gave him a smirk, "And the reason why you didn't invite Nora and Ren along?"

Jaune sheepishly smiled, "Am I that easy to figure out?"

"Yes. But I am famished, so I'll let it slide."

* * *

Weiss was furiously scribbling down notes. Pyrrha was a lot more aware than she anticipated. Her plans would have to account for that. Now, how to turn this playful attitude into something more genuine?

What if… Yes, Weiss had an idea. She grinned to herself as she circled in red her plan for tomorrow.

* * *

The second day of the week, Jaune asked Pyrrha to go on a walk with him in the Beacon gardens. It laid opposite to the cliff side, and was a holdover from generations past, when the old Kings of Vale ruled the land.

She said yes, after a tough day of studying, it would be nice to relax before her daily training. As they walked through the maze made of tall bushes, they idly chatted about school, training, and random things that came up.

Then there was a shriek. They turned around to see not a damsel in distress, but rather a damsel in delight. She wasn't a student, no, she was a tourist.

"Eeeeee it's Pyrrha Nikos! Guys guys look!"

As a small group of curious tourists grew larger and larger, Jaune and Pyrrha bolted.

They rushed down the maze, making turn after turn before stopping, their hearts racing.

"Is today Open Park Day?" Pyrrha whispered.

"Uhh," Jaune paused, "Maybe?" Weiss didn't mention that when she told him about the gardens.

… Damn it Weiss.

"How should we leave? They're blocking the exit."

Jaune's eyes shifted back and forth. He pulled out a map of the maze on his scroll. Pyrrha scanned the map and pointed out, "If we make a distraction here, we can escape from that side."

"They'll follow you, then you go around this side to… No, that leaves us with another group of tourists most likely," Jaune frowned, "The exit and entrance are at the same place."

Pyrrha clicked her tongue, "We were fortunate to make it this far into the maze without anyone else seeing us."

"The gardens just opened to non-Beacon students half an hour ago, that's why," Jaune said as he looked at the schedule, "With that one tourist, people are going to be on the lookout. We're going to have to find an alternate route."

Pyrrha estimated the height of the hedge maze, "I don't think I can clear it in a jump, and there weren't any gardeners or tools nearby. No ladders."

"What if—"

"There she is!" they turned around to see three tourists pointing at Pyrrha, "Miss Nikos can we have your autograph?"

"Hi I'm a big fan! Can my boyfriend and I take a picture with you?"

They ran in the opposite direction, only to be cornered by a large hedge. It was a dead end.

Jaune turned to face the growing crowd, now with ten tourists. He grabbed Pyrrha's wrist and took a leap of faith. He closed his eyes and stepped backwards.

And they went through the bush.

And came out the other side.

Because it was a bush.

He opened his eyes and looked at Pyrrha. She looked at him too and grinned widely, "Well, that was something."

"Yes it was."

They decided to finish their walk on Beacon grounds not open to the public. It was nice. They saw two butterflies.

* * *

For the third day, Weiss bought Jaune a large collection of arts and crafts, "Make something nice for her."

"Why?"

"Not everything can be bought with money," Weiss said, "And think about who's saying that."

"That's… actually a big thing then."

"Right? Make her something from the bottom of your heart and she'll love it."

Then she left him alone to work on that instead of training. Jaune was glad he didn't have to upside-down crunches while reciting dialogue from a Sutekina Osama no Dakusukai.

He reached for the scissors.

* * *

"Hey Pyrrha."

"Hello Jaune. What's that?" she pointed at the large object Jaune had hidden under a white sheet.

"Nothing in particular. Just something I did in between training yesterday," Jaune couldn't decide whether to play it cool and aloof (as Weiss recommended) or to act natural (also recommended by Weiss), so he ended up shrugging and scratching the back of his head at the same time.

Pyrrha shook her head and laughed, "Are you sure? I've been noticing a trend lately."

"If you're curious…" Jaune began. When Pyrrha giggled again and nodded, he pulled the sheet off, "Tada!"

It was… a paper mache circle.

"What is it?"

"It's Akoúo̱!" he smiled. It was colored pink.

A moment passed in silence.

"It is a work in progress," he stated, resolute in his creation, "I'm also going to make Miló in its javelin form."

A small chuckle escaped from Pyrrha's lips, once she caught the slight tremor in Jaune's own.

"Really now?" she coughed out.

"Well not so much," Jaune said, "Unlike Akoúo̱, this one changes forms."

He reached for the cardboard shield and pulled. A slender triangle came out that he tossed to the side, revealing its true design.

"Pyr, do you want to protect my heart or should I protect yours?" Jaune asked while wiggling his eyebrows.

She smiled, "Well when you ask it like that, how could I say no?"

* * *

The fourth day had nothing to do with Pyrrha, Weiss declared. It was time for the both of them to work on their actual studies and train to become huntsmen and huntresses.

"It's called boosting your stats. No man or woman wants to be with someone with low stats," Weiss said.

Jaune quipped back, which turned into a match of physical prowess and wit as the two sparred. Weiss won both portions after knocking the wind out of him.

* * *

The fifth day, Teams RWBY and JNPR studied together for a pop quiz that they all knew was coming after Doctor Oobleck left some not-so-subtle hints.

Jaune and Pyrrha sat by each other, and for the first time, Jaune was actually keeping up. His streak of good grades (if one exam in one class was a streak) was going to continue.

Pyrrha praised him, as well as Ruby. Inwardly, Jaune thanked Weiss for her academic help during yesterday's training.

Outwardly, Weiss boasted about her tutoring skills, which was only egged on by Ruby, who completely agreed.

Jaune snorted and reminded her about those who can't, teach. The heiress smirked and said that she can do both. He said that it's because she was great at talking nonstop, which got a laugh from the whole table.

* * *

The sixth day came, and Weiss had no plans set for Jaune. She just told him to be himself.

"Jaune? Are you free tonight?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Do you want to train together?"

"We always do."

"Not recently, Weiss has been training with you all week."

"Pyrrha, are you jealous of all the time I'm spending with Weiss?" he smirked and teasingly jabbed his elbow into her side.

"No…" Pyrrha's eyes darted. Jaune remained unconvinced. She sighed, "Yes. When you're famous like me, you get put up on a pedestal. That pedestal alienates me from others. And you're my friend Jaune, my best friend."

"I'm still here for you, I just also spend time with Weiss. It's not any different than the time I spend with Ruby, or Ren and Nora."

"It is!" Pyrrha grabbed his arms, "She— Weiss, she's," Pyrrha tried to grasp for the right words.

Jaune took a shot in the dark, "Taking me away from you?"

"No, no. I've seen the way you look at each other," she said, "You're at most friends. You banter with each other, you spend time together training and learning how to date," Pyrrha grimaced, "She's become your friend and confidante. I'd be fine with that, hell, I'd be fine with you dating someone, but the person you had to try to date was me!"

She made a grasping motion with her hands, "I don't want what we had to change. I don't want to take the risk and lose our friendship if it doesn't work out. Because you're my best friend. Ren and Nora, they have their own thing going on, and so do Team RWBY. Without you, I'd be alone."

"Pyrrha…" Jaune placed his hands onto her shoulders, "I'm your partner, your team leader, and your pupil, and that might change one day," he gave a warm smile, "But no matter what happens, I will always be your friend."

"Always?" she whispered.

"Always. Even if you turn into some crazed stalker, or I become an evil dictator of the multiverse, our friendship will always remain," Jaune said.

"Even if… we became more than friends?"

"Even then."

"Then there's no reason not to try," Pyrrha's mouth dove down into Jaune's lips.

He widened his eyes and began to protest, but eventually, he fell into the kiss.

No matter what happens next, they'll always be together.

**TUTORIAL COMPLETE**

**Arkos End Achieved**

**Continue? [Yes/No]**

**Are you sure?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus the story begins. Or ends, if that's your preference. Of course there are more routes to go through, and some will definitely be more interesting than this one, which was intended to be mundane. Pyrrha was the tutorial after all, she couldn't be too hard.
> 
> Before you ask, yes, this was heavily inspired by the manga and anime _The World God Only Knows_. One of my favorites. This story only borrows two elements from it though, an avid dating sim player using their knowledge in the real world and another one that's a spoiler.
> 
> Many thanks to The Immortal Doctor Reid, for coming up with the titles for each chapter. He's the best there is at this particular skill.


	3. Is There a Book of Love To Check-Out?! Throb-Throbby! Even a Faunus is a Girl, You Know?! Love is a Salmon Dish in a Quiet Library! Enter His Heart Like a Ninja, Blake-chan!

Chapter Three: Is There a Book of Love To Check-Out?! Throb-Throbby! Even a Faunus is a Girl, You Know?! Love is a Salmon Dish in a Quiet Library! Enter His Heart Like a Ninja, Blake-chan!

* * *

"Well that was bust. Thanks, Weiss," Jaune plopped down in the library seat next to Weiss, who was busy studying.

"Do tell," she said as her eyes kept on the text, her left hand writing down notes.

"We broke up," Jaune said, "It wasn't any one thing. We didn't hate each other, it's just… There was no romance, you know? No passion. After we kissed and started going out, nothing really changed. We trained, studied, went out to Vale with Ren and Nora, hung out and watched movies, same as always."

"Uh huh," Weiss said as she scanned her notes.

"After a while, we called it quits. We both agreed we're better as friends, you know?" Jaune frowned, "Weiss?"

"Mmhmm," Weiss said as she flipped a page.

"Are you listening to me? Do you even care? We played your game and I won didn't I?"

"Hah!" Weiss barked out, startling Jaune. She turned to to face him, "We've only just begun. I figured you two wouldn't last. She is the tutorial after all."

Jaune frowned deeper at that, but Weiss continued, "You still have a lot to learn about romance, and the tutorial is just one woman," she put down her pen and gingerly placed her notes away into a binder. She put the binder away, then pulled out an even bigger binder and plopped it down on the table, "Let's see who shall be our next route."

She opened it up, and immediately, Jaune was surprised at the level of detail Weiss kept. Not just about him, but about their friends, games she's played, and games that have yet to come out, judging by an ETA stamp on some of them. Weiss pulled out a white sheet with five names on it.

"Time for a lesson," she grinned widely, "A feature in both games and real life is the butterfly effect. News of your break up will soon spread, and when that happens you will be on the rebound, giving you a subtle bonus multiplier to certain women. Thinking on it however, it is best for your first breakup if you don't immediately rebound, and instead gradually build up a new meaningful relationship. This will prevent you earning a 'playboy' reputation, while also protecting you emotionally."

Weiss looked at Jaune, who nodded, "So you want me to take it easy for a while. Don't rush into another romance."

"Exactly. That is why, while Ruby would usually be an easy conquest, having the second lowest difficulty besides Pyrrha, as well as having the 'Rebound Queen' attribute. The attribute would make a relationship between you two occur swiftly, but I believe it would be too swift for your emotional wellbeing. Thus, we shall save Ruby for a later route," Weiss tapped her arm, "This has the additional benefit of avoiding triggering a death flag."

"What? When was death ever on the table?"

She pulled out a photo of Team RWBY, "Yang is an Older Sister archetype, with a protective modifier for Ruby. Dating her right now before bringing up Yang's trust level in you is dangerous. Besides," Weiss said, "I'd rather not my teammate worry about you defiling her Little Sister."

"I'd never hurt Ruby!"

"Yang knows that, she's your friend after all. But her protective streak clouds her judgment. We're going to have to bring up trust at some point. And pursuing Yang before Ruby could lead to a misunderstanding that would leave a negative modifier to interactions. Of course, that could also be said for the converse, but we'll deal with that later."

"Uh huh."

"Just know that it's much too early for a Little Sister route," she furrowed her brow.

"What ew! Why would I even— ew!" Jaune disgustingly looked at Weiss.

"It is an archetype, Jaune Arc, nothing more, nothing less. Real life is nothing like TV, movies, or games. It's just that Ruby shares many similarities with a certain archetype. Just be glad she isn't related to you by blood."

Jaune groaned, "Why did you have to say it like that?"

"Come on, let's go find your next target. She should be on the other side of the library."

Jaune frowned, "Did you plan this?"

"Of course not, it's just a coincidence Blake and I happen to read in the library at the same time."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I'm not sure I believe you."

"Good! You're learning," Weiss patted Jaune on the back, "Now what do you know about Blake?"

"She's quiet, likes to read, and she has cat ears," he listed off.

"And?"

"We don't talk much."

"No surprise there. Of course, most people around here don't know much about her, and that's by design. It took a bit finagling and dipping fingers outside the kingdoms, but take a look at what I've found," Weiss pulled a black folder out of her binder and slid it over to Jaune, "Don't rip anything."

He opened the folder, "I won—"

_Shrrriiiiippp!_

They both blankly stared at the torn news article in Jaune's hands.

"Sorry."

Weiss took a deep breath, "Do you know how hard it is to import newspapers from Menagerie?"

"Very?"

She nodded, "Very. So please, do not touch anything else and just read the article."

Jaune nodded and read aloud, "New Chieftain Elected. After much debate in the Chamber of Tribes, a new leader for Menagerie has been chosen: Former leader of the White Fang Ghira Belladonna, along with his wife, Kali, as Chief of State."

He paused, "Wait, Menagerie has a chieftain? And Blake's related to him?!"

"His daughter to be exact. Not to mention his previous status as leader of the White Fang. But enough about that, that's just foreshadowing. We need to focus on more concerning matters."

Jaune paused, "What?"

"Her favorite books!"

"Right," he raised an eyebrow.

"Here is a list of novels she has read since attending Beacon. One she's very passionate about is _The Man with Two Souls_ , a Young Adult novel about a man with inner conflict personified and transformed into a fantasy action adventure by his second soul."

Weiss passed him a hardcover with a black dust jacket, "Here. Read it. Blake will be here for at least another two hours."

And so, Jaune sat down and read. And read. And read. All while Weiss was making notes for class.

An hour later he put it down, "I don't really like the book."

Weiss shrugged, "It's a story about a teenager down on his luck with a bad lot in life, who after a bunch of terrible circumstances, becomes ensnared in some supernatural plot that increasingly escalates. He gets a love interest, narrowly saves the day but there are still questions, et cetera et cetera."

She pulled out another book, "I liked this one better, although it has a love triangle in it. A bunch of bad stuff happens at the end of the first story, raising the stakes in the sequel. It's about a princess who has to save her world from darkness and stuff."

"The series Blake reads the most however," she handed him a copy of _Ninjas of Love_ , "Is mostly smut. I know because she has all fifteen books on a shelf in our dorm. It has a bare plot as an excuse for smut, and the actual sex scenes are a C Plus overall."

"I'm both impressed and concerned you know all this, and that you rated the sex scenes," Jaune said.

Weiss shrugged again, "It happens in a lot of dating sims, and I don't want to miss any of the content."

"Sure you don't."

She glared at him, "At this juncture, I would have you talk to Blake about the book while I whisper in your ear, but it's simply easier if we play another tactic."

"What's that?"

Weiss pulled out a stack of X-Ray and Vav comics, "What do you think? Passionate people attract other passionate people within the same field, that's a known factor."

"You want me to talk about comics with Blake."

"Yes indeed. Here," Weiss passed him the The Man with Two Souls hardcover, "Return this to the shelf while muttering about what you think. She'll hear you. Also mention X-Ray and Vav bye."

And then Weiss left him alone in the library.

He picked up the book and walked down the aisles of books, passing by the many multitude of genres the school had. There were thousands in the history section alone, and over ten times as many fiction stories. It took him almost ten minutes to walk there, but he finally reached the shelf he was looking for.

Jaune glanced back and forth, but saw no sign of Blake. He placed the book between two others by the same author and whispered, " _The Man with Two Souls_ was stupid."

The book was in the shelf. He turned around and there was no one. He shrugged. Then, he walked out of the aisle and turned the corner.

"What did you say about that masterpiece?" Blake was right in front of him.

"Gah!" he screeched and stumbled back.

Blake glared at him and asked again, "What did you say about MTS?"

Jaune straightened himself up and blinked, "It was stupid?"

The black-haired girl crossed her arms and huffed, "Why would you say so?"

"Well, more boring than stupid. The main character was painfully generic, and you know that's saying something," he gestured at himself. Blake nodded in agreement, "The voice in his head was super mysterious at all times for no reason, despite being, you know, in his head. The guy spent the first half of the book thinking he was crazy when the voice could have easily proven otherwise."

"How could he possibly do that?"

"Set up an email address and a bank account, get the kid to log into it. Being able to access a bunch of money out of nowhere is totally proof the voice is the real deal. But no, the voice gives him evidence of things that could easily have been proven to be a delusion, as if he hadn't done this before, except you know, he has."

"It's not like the voice planned to die any time soon," Blake said.

"But he knew he could. Isn't dying like the number one thing he does?"

"Yes it's a plot hole, a minor plot hole, but I read it for the inner struggle of a man with two minds within him, two sets of ideals and goals."

"And they're are all buddy-buddy by the time the second half starts. It's boring. The other characters are also there messing things up for no reason too. Five had one job."

"Everybody hates Five," Blake said, "He's the worst character. The rest of the book is great."

"Pffft," Jaune laughed, "Five is the worst, and that's a feat given the terrible cast. He's useless and whiny and his subplot took up like four chapters. And then he got off scot-free because of the mafia."

"I know. It's gets worse in later books," Blake shook her head, "You could honestly just skip his chapters if you continue."

"No way. Zander has the lamest plot. He wants to be a pilot. They made Bullhead piloting boring!" Jaune groaned, "And what's-her-face, the girl with the magic tattoo, she's an idiot."

"Hey! Eve is great! She's a complex character with inner conflict."

"'Five or Zander, who shall I choose!' Boo hoo," Jaune made fake tears, "Why can't we focus on the guy who's on the book title, huh?"

"Clearly you have no taste in literature."

"Of course I do. Just because I don't like cliche stories about super special teens or smut doesn't mean I hate quality."

"Oh? And what do you read?"

"X-Ray and Vav, especially the Cott era," Jaune said, "The new ones just aren't as good."

"Fella Fauna is great!" Blake crossed her arms, "She spent years in the novel industry before coming to comics, so you probably just don't like her style."

"Her style is that she sucks," Jaune retorted, "A book is way different than a comic. Have you seen the way she lays out panels? Because it's bad."

"Sure it doesn't flow as well as her predecessors', but she's improving."

"It's been three years!"

"Besides the panel comp, she's great at story and characters."

"Eh," Jaune vaguely shook his hand, "They're okay. April Cott's interpretation of X-Ray was better, and Time For Bran invented half the cast. FF hasn't done anything outstanding, not like how Jade Frost made Vav's backstory really sad and tragic."

"I think we'll agree to disagree then," Blake raised an eyebrow, "I've got to get going, Weiss and Ruby want the whole team to train while blindfolded."

Jaune frowned at that. Blake rolled her eyes, "Don't ask. If you do, Weiss might drag you in too."

"Yeah. Nice talking with you. The only one else who reads XV is Pyrrha, but she only does it casually. She reads it but never wants to talk about it."

"Ugh, tell me about it. I had a friend back in the Fang, she couldn't even tell the Blue Age from the Red."

"But they're color-coded."

"It's even worse since she was a chameleon faunus, who can change colors at will," Blake shook her head, "See you around."

They waved and Blake left. Jaune stood still for a minute. Then he muttered, "Great now I want to read some Blue Age stuff."

* * *

"Well done, Jaune. You did better than I expected," Weiss said after Team RWBY's training.

"Yeah I guess so," Jaune said. The two of them were out in the hallway between their dorms.

"Keep it up. Library, same time, every day for the next three days. Here," Weiss pressed another book into Jaune's hands, "Fella Fauna's best novel. Although it isn't really saying much."

"Oh joy," Jaune said blandly, "Anything else I should know?"

"Expect a monkey faunus to burst in at some point in the future. Now, if you'll excuse, I shall get some sleep."

"You mean three hours of gaming then sleep?"

"Two tonight, I'm a somewhat exhausted from training."

"Right," Jaune waved Weiss goodnight, then retired to his own dorm and bed. He sat down on his mattress and cracked open the book.

* * *

Jaune sat down next to Blake. Both of them were in a slightly hidden nook of the library, fitted with coffee tables and bean bag chairs. His bean bag was green.

"Weiss gave me The Prudence last night. Apparently it's FF's best work."

Blake nodded, "It's definitely up there, although I'm partial to Allied myself. What did you think?"

"Better than Man with Two Souls," Jaune shrugged, "I don't hate it, so that's a plus. It's closer to her comic work."

"It was written just before she got the job, that's probably why," Blake remarked, "Have you reached chapter 20 yet?"

"No, fell asleep. Why?"

"No reason."

"I guess I'll read then."

"Good."

Blake continued reading her own book as Jaune read The Prudence. Time passed in the library. Soon, the sun began to set, bathing the room in a yellow glow.

Jaune closed the book, "Well, didn't see that coming."

"Nope."

"I mean, wow. That is, huh."

"Yyyup."

"I'm going to keep reading."

"Do it."

He did. At the same time, Blake pulled out a laptop she was borrowing from the library and began looking at the news.

An hour later, Jaune closed the book for the final time, "Ye gods, that was interesting."

"You didn't expect half the population to die, huh?"

"Yeah. The main character failed. In the first book. How's the rest of the trilogy?"

" _The Cadence_ is decent overall. It really bridges the gap between the crazy events in the first book, while answering a few of the questions. The third book though, really just throws everything out of the water and gives an annoyingly confusing plot twist about the whole society," Blake shook her head.

"That bad?"

"FF is good at many things, but endings are not one of them. The Inflection is a mess."

"Should I just stop now then?"

"If you want. I can give a summary of the plot."

"Sure."

She told him.

"That's so… stupid."

"Yeah."

"They're _clones_?!"

"Yeah. I'm in agreement there."

"Does this mean that when she finishes her tenure on XV, it's going to get worse?"

"Her co writers could fix it."

"Yeah it's gonna suck."

"Or she passes it on without finishing?" Blake reached.

"If only," Jaune sighed.

A while later, they both went to dinner with their teams. Jaune returned the book to Weiss.

"How was it?"

"Great actually. Too bad the other books aren't."

"The ending is important to the story, as much as everything else. To ignore a bad ending is to leave the characters in Limbo for eternity. At least having no ending lets the viewer imagine a decent scenario," Weiss said as she bit an apple.

"So what now?"

"Hang out with Blake a bit more. You'll see the next flag."

Jaune raised an eyebrow, "Flag?"

"You know, key turning points in a story, a moment where you can raise your standing with the target," Weiss sucked at the apple juice dribbling down, "They're also events that can allow you to choose someone's particular route as well."

"I almost follow."

"Still much to learn. When the flag happens, you have to take the opportunity. Don't miss it, because unlike games, you don't have second chances in real life."

"Right."

"And remember the foreshadowing."

"I think I do."

Weiss rolled her eyes and showed Jaune a photocopy of the news article, "Ring a bell?"

"Yeah, got it."

* * *

Blake and Jaune talked about comics and books over the next week. It wasn't every day, but it became a common occurrence. Jaune attempted to persuade Blake into trying out other non-Fella Fauna comics.

She tried one, got bored, then Jaune gave her another. She liked it well enough. When they weren't talking, they sat in comfortable silence, each reading things they liked or the other recommended.

It was during the second week of this when things changed. They had both entered the nook that day, sat down in their respective bean bags, and read. Then, the silence was broken.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" Sun waved at Blake, walking in to their nook.

"Hello Sun," Blake replied.

"Hey," Jaune said.

"So Blake remember that uh, thing you wanted me to look into?" Sun half whispered at her.

"Yeah?"

"I think I got something."

"Really?" Blake's ribbon twitched at that.

Jaune blinked, "What's going on?"

"It's a um, thing that we're doing together later. Tonight."

"Tonight?! And you're only telling me now?" Blake huffed.

"I just found out ten minutes ago. Heck, the people involved didn't know it was happening until this morning."

"Well we have to go," Blake insisted.

Jaune blinked again, "Is this… related to the White Fang?"

Both faunus turned to him. Sun said, "Yeah."

"Sun!"

"Why is this a secret anyways?" Sun crossed his arms, "I really think we should have back up this time. We would have been toast back at the docks otherwise."

Blake grumbled, "Jaune, do you want to help us investigate the White Fang?"

Jaune paused for a second, thinking it through. Wait, he was a huntsman-in-training! This was going to be his job in the future, might as well get experience now!

"Yeah. I'm in."

"Cool," Sun said, "Maybe one more person should come, boost our numbers."

Blake bristled at that, "Not Yang. She isn't very stealthy."

Sun stroked his chin, "My team isn't at Beacon yet. Who else, Jaune?"

"Pyrrha's too noticeable," he winced at the memory of the Beacon Gardens. Maybe Ruby? No, then Yang would want to come with. Ren and Nora could work. Or at least Ren, but then Nora would tag along and that was a disaster waiting to happen.

That left one other person.

"I would like to join in as well."

The three of them turned to see Weiss Schnee waving at them, "What better way for the SDC to make amends than to listen to their grievances?"

She smiled. Blake raised an eyebrow, "You do know you're almost as noticeable as Pyrrha, right?"

"I have a foolproof disguise," Weiss said, "And you're not so anonymous yourself, Ghira Belladonna's daughter."

Blake frowned, "How did you…"

Weiss brought out her hands and shook them, "Money!"

The three of them stared at Weiss. Blake eventually caved in, "Fine."

"I'm also doing this to prove I meant what I said, Blake. I don't care about your past, but I do care about what you're doing now. As your teammate, I'm here to help."

"Glad to have you on my side, oh heiress to the SDC," Blake smirked.

The smile Weiss gave sent chills down Jaune's spine. He was going to regret this, he just knew it.

* * *

"Weiss, what are you wearing?"

"Pretty isn't it?" Weiss smirked at him as she twirled around. She was wearing… tan street clothes and a sunhat.

"We're going to a White Fang rally."

"And?"

"You're Weiss Schnee," Damn it, even he knew this was a terrible idea.

"Exactly," she said, "No one will ever expect the heiress to the SDC to appear at a White Fang rally. It will be so unbelievable, most of the rally goers will convince themselves they were mistaken. For the alternative is to invite madness."

"And if they do figure out you're you?"

A wide smile spread on her face, "You'll see," she giggled, "Watch if you want, but you should be focusing on Blake."

Weiss grabbed him by the arm and led him to the Bullhead port, leading to Vale. A half hour later, the two of them met up with Sun and Blake just three blocks from the rally's location.

They stopped by Blondo Mollari, the premier shopping center for blondes. Jaune didn't like it, but four of his sisters did, and thus he was intimately familiar with the store, having spent hours in total just staring blankly and listening to the muzak, carrying their shopping bags with him.

When Jaune and Weiss arrived, they saw Blake staring blankly at the wall as Sun was looking at different dress shirts. Blake saw Jaune and said, "Kill me."

He nodded in sympathy, "Don't worry, you get used to it. The numbness becomes joy after a while."

Weiss meanwhile glanced at the place with a puzzled look, "Are these items blondes purchase?"

Jaune rolled his eyes, "Only the fashionable ones."

"Gods, I think I recognize the shades Yang wears," Blake muttered.

"And the paint for her weapons," Jaune shook his head, "Come on, let's go."

The four of them walked in silence, Blake too shellshocked to ask about Weiss' disguise. Sun was happily whistling as he held his new shirt in a bag.

The rally was being held in a warehouse just by the shopping district. Judging by the size, it could have held hundreds. As they checked in with cheap White Fang masks (the mask dealer gave Weiss a funny look before she explained she was a look-alike), the room they were in filled to near capacity.

Jaune realized they were in the middle of a soon-to-be angry mob. Weiss told him it was fine, so long as they stayed with Blake and Sun.

Then, a faunus walked out in a mask. He was dressed in the proper White Fang uniform, looking out at the potential fresh recruits for his cause. He spoke.

"Our human guest speaker tonight is absent unfortunately. However, his colleague and partner-in-crime is here in his stead. Please welcome Miss Neopolitan!"

There was no clapping, but rather hushed whispers as a very short and very human woman stepped out onto stage. Her multicolored hair and eyes stood out. She took a bow before everyone, before opening her mouth and moving her lips.

She paced back and forth, her mouth still animatedly moving, but there was no sound coming out. The entire warehouse was quiet, save for some light coughing and Neo's shoes pounding the stage.

Neo gestured out to the audience, her face making a triumphant expression. She paused briefly before continuing to mime out her monologue.

Whispers spread throughout the audience.

"Is something wrong with the audio?"

"I can't hear her."

"Neither can I."

"Maybe her mic isn't working."

"Oh my gods I've gone deaf!"

Jaune and Sun just frowned at the display before them, while Weiss and Blake were scoping their surroundings.

"You know Blake, this wasn't what I expected," Weiss conceded.

"Oh? What were you expecting?" Blake raised an eyebrow.

"A slow motion riot, perhaps an angry genocidal maniac hellbent on exterminating humanity. But the woman up there makes good points."

"... You can understand her?"

"I can read lips. She's attempting to appeal to socioeconomic problems currently underlying Vale's political and social system, that frankly, I hadn't considered before now," Weiss said as she stroked her chin, "The discrimination befalling faunus isn't just prejudicial, but systemic."

Blake blinked, "You're screwing with me. You can't possibly be getting that from the mute midget up there."

Weiss shrugged, "When I was younger, a White Fang fire bomb blew a hole in my estate. I was nearby, and while my aura shielded me, I was left deaf for several days. I figured lipreading was easier than sign language."

"I feel guilty now," Blake said.

Weiss patted her on the shoulder, "It's alright. It's not always about you."

Blake frowned at that. Weiss then turned to the back of the large room, "Is there a lavatory in here?"

"With this many people, there should be at least one."

"Let's take a look behind the scenes. Shall we?" Weiss grinned.

Blake raised an eyebrow, but couldn't help but smirk, "We shall."

As they tiptoed off, Jaune and Sun whispered to each other.

"So what's the deal with you and Blake?" Sun asked.

"We talk about comics and stuff. She's a friend," Jaune was moving his mouth to Neo's lips, trying to figure out what she was saying.

"That's good. I mean," Sun facepalmed, "Forget I said anything."

"No I get it. Blake's a nice girl. I'm not as into her as you are. Weiss was the one who started me on this path."

"Really?"

"It's a long story, and a weird one that I'm not repeating while surrounded by a hundred strangers, Jaune whispered.

"Right. But are you into her? I mean, it's cool if you are."

"A bit," Jaune shrugged, "Why are you into her?"

"Well," Sun paused as the crowd started moving and the announcer walked back onto the stage, "I'll be honest. My very first impression of her was 'she's cute'."

"Huh," Jaune frowned slightly.

"What?" Sun said, "It's my first impression. That's how we met. I passed by her as I ran away from some dock workers. But that was it, just an impression. After I got to know her, I realized definitely like her."

"Why?" Jaune said, keeping himself next to Sun as the crowd parted in the middle to allow a VIP member to walk to the stage.

"She's intelligent but not wise," Sun said, "It's like she's book smart but not street smart, the opposite of what you'd expect from being a former terrorist."

"That doesn't make sense," Jaune said.

"Exactly. She has all these strange quirks. Her books, the way she goes about things, it's odd. Like a puzzle, you know?" Sun said, "And I will tell you, there's nothing I like more than a puzzle."

"You like her because she's mysterious," Jaune summarized, "I get it, I think. Better not tell you what Weiss has learned about her."

Sun smiled, "Yeah, I want to figure out myself," he slapped Jaune on the back, "And a little competition never hurt either."

* * *

Inside the bathroom, Weiss and Blake had finished scoping the place out.

"Nothing. It's just a rally," Blake concluded.

Weiss, on the other hand, nodded, "It's strange. A shipment of top secret Atlas tech was stolen, but it's not here, the obvious place to store it."

"What kind of tech?"

Weiss shrugged, "Something big, expensive, and state-of-the-art. It was probably stolen by Roman Torchwick, but after it went missing, it stayed missing."

"It's got to be difficult to hide. How big is it?"

"About ten centimeters shorter than the ceiling."

"Weiss, the ceiling's at least ten meters up."

"I did say it was big."

"Hmm," Blake hummed, "We'll have to figure this out later. Let's go back to to Jaune and Sun."

Weiss nodded, "What do you think of Sun?"

As the two walked out of the bathroom and into the crowd, Blake responded, "He's a nice guy. A good friend, I'm sure. But, he's a bit too eager for my tastes. Too hyperactive, not like Jaune, who knows how to sit back and just quietly relax."

"Nice to know," Weiss said as they made it back to where Jaune and Sun were.

"Did we miss anything?" Blake asked Jaune.

"The 'Vice Captain' of the Vale Branch just spoke, and the current Branch Leader is about to speak," Jaune said.

"That is… um," Blake pursed her lip.

"You know him?" Jaune asked.

"Well…"

The lights dimmed slightly as a tall red-haired man in a White Fang mask walked onto the stage.

"My faunus brothers and sisters of Vale, I greet you today out of necessity. Our cause is under daily attack and peril. Over the past several months, our goal of making the world a better place for our kind has been met with constant rebuke by the human governments and their huntsmen. Hundreds of our loyal and courageous soldiers have been captured, subject to interrogation and empty promises of a better tomorrow. And yet!"

He reached to the sky, "We are still here before you. No matter what, we shall be here. Whenever a faunus is beaten on the streets, denied the same rights and pleasures, or forced to work under the worst conditions imaginable, we shall be here to fight back. And we will make them pay."

Raucous applause broke out, cheers and claps across the room. The crowd around the four hunters-in-training whooped and whistled, roaring out their frustrations in deafening shouts.

Weiss bit her lip as she made out a few phrases. She knew it was bad, but never this bad. She turned to Blake, who had the same expression, but for different reasons. Weiss saw that Blake kept the man onstage in her line of sight the entire time. Weiss nudged Jaune in the shoulder, and he responded by grabbing for Blake's hand.

Jaune and Blake looked each other in the eye. He squeezed her hand lightly. Blake cracked a slight smile. Sun put his hand on Blake's shoulder and gave her a nod. Blake knew she had help this time.

Weiss coughed and gave Blake a thumbs up, who reciprocated with a smirk. Jaune glanced at Weiss too, and saw her own expression. Jaune didn't quite understand what was happening, but he would be there to help his friends.

As Adam Taurus, leader of the Vale branch of the White Fang, finished speaking, the crowd burst into applause. Adam then excused himself, leading the announcer to declare a short intermission before continuing.

The large crowd began dispersing towards the walls, where food and refreshments could be found.

Weiss was standing next to one such table and took off her mask to try the strange hors d'oeuvres.

"They are not strange. That's cod from Western Menagerie," Blake sighed, "The fact that they got some here is amazing. They're really splurging on these recruits."

"A sign of desperation then," Weiss said as she nibbled on a small biscuit with fish paste on top, "Considering they're missing a bunch of stolen Atlas tech that was clearly important, I can see why."

Weiss continued nibbling, not noticing the attention she was garnering.

"Is that Weiss Schnee?"

"No way! It can't be."

"Look! She has the same face and scar!"

Faunus began crowding around her. Jaune and Sun could only watch as they began to hurl insults at her, becoming angrier and angrier. Their screams became louder as they began reaching out with their hands at her.

Then, Weiss spoke. She stood out, loud and proud, and bellowed, "My name is Snowflake, and I am a Weiss Schnee body double!"

Everyone quieted at those words.

"Or at least I was, until the Schnee moved here to Vale, at the same time throwing me out like an unwanted rag! Hear me my brothers and sisters! Jacques Schnee is an asshole!"

The crowd burst into applause, and Weiss was hoisted onto the shoulders of two rather large men. Weiss pumped her fists in the air as the crowd began pumping their fists in unison.

It was all broken by a single yell.

"Schnee!" the red-haired man bellowed at the top of his lungs from the railway above the stage. He leaped and landed on the ground, cracking the concrete below. He snarled, "The others may be fooled, but I know for a fact you don't use body doubles."

"Hmph, I see you're a step above the mooks around here," Weiss said, creating glyphs on her hands after she knocked out the two men holding her up. She landed on the ground as the crowd around her began to back away.

"And you!" he pointed his red sword at Jaune, its sharp tip only a foot from his nose, "I hear that a human has the gall to take an interest in my beloved!" he took an aggressive stance, "I will kill you for this. Blake is mine!"

"Ew, male yandere," Weiss made a gagging face.

"Die!" he lunged at them.

Weiss blocked his sword with her glyphs, as Jaune pulled out Crocea Mors and began slashing. Adam tanked the hits Jaune made as Weiss threw a fire dust grenade at him.

The minor explosion rocked the bull faunus just long enough for Sun to jump into the fray and shoot from his nunchuck-guns. Sun then began whacking the redhead as Jaune continued slashing.

Adam roared as his blade began to glow.

Blake ran up and yelled, "Run! His semblance Moonslice will kill you!"

It was too late. A crescent slice of energy and aura erupted from his sword, and rushed out in Jaune and Weiss' direction. Before either could move, the semblance struck—

Jaune opened his eyes and blinked. He wasn't hurt. He turned. Neither was Weiss. Then he saw it.

Moonslice, what Blake called the semblance, was in front of them. It glowed a fiery red and white, just a few inches from them. They could feel raw energy and heat radiating the crescent shape just stuck in midair, violently vibrating yet unable to move forward.

"To think I was just in time," a familiar voice could be heard. Everyone cocked their heads and turned to see a tall blonde woman sauntering her way to the scene.

Glynda Goodwitch glared at Adam, and with a flick of her riding crop, the angry arc of raw energy flung itself into the wall behind her.

"Imagine my surprise when I heard of an incident involving the White Fang, just three blocks away from the nice shopping outlet I was visiting," another flick of her wrist and nearby White Fang grunts were pushed to the floor.

"Now, imagine my shock to see an outright brawl between the White Fang and my students. And even worse, two of them were just about to be brutally murdered by an errant semblance," Goodwitch barely contained the snarl on her face as she brought up her weapon, "A semblance launched by Adam Taurus of all people."

Her riding crop quivered as purple energy began to flow around her, "I will not let my students come to harm. Stand down, or I will make you."

A brief silence was broken by Adam's laughter, "I will never take orders from a human."

He charged once again. And then, he stopped moving. He was lifted into the air by Goodwitch, screaming profanities at her the entire time, "Well that was easier than I expected."

Then a white flash appeared, and a multicolored girl landed inside the gravity field Glynda made. She floated up until she touched Adam, and in another flash, they both vanished.

"Damn teleporters," Glynda Goodwitch grumbled gratuitously.

The warehouse doors then burst open, "Vale Police! Stick your hands up!"

* * *

Most of the rally attendees escaped in the fight between Adam and Glynda, but the few that were captured by her semblance were brought in for questioning.

As the warehouse was searched by the police, Professor Goodwitch walked up to the four students sitting on crates with blankets over them. They each had plastic cups of hot chocolate in their hands. She glared at Sun and Blake, "I see the two of you are still getting in trouble."

They winced, and then Goodwitch turned to Jaune and Weiss, "I am glad you are alright," Weiss could have sworn she saw Glynda's eyes glance toward Jaune, "But I would like to ask you to refrain from doing anything reckless like this again."

Glynda shook her head, "Every time, every year," she muttered.

She looked at all four of them, "We will discuss your punishment back at Beacon. For now, be happy you are all in one piece. I will also be contacting your teams, and in Mister Wukong's case, his school about the incident."

Glynda left the four of them to sit together in silence until they went back to the airship port.

* * *

Jaune was busy reading in the library when Sun came up next to him.

"Hey," Sun said.

"Hey," Jaune replied as he looked up from his comic.

"I asked Blake out," Sun said.

"How did it go?"

"She rejected me," his tail drooped.

"Come on, have a seat," Jaune pulled out a chair for him, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Sun leaned back and pushed the front legs up into the air, precariously perching on the chair's hind legs, "Yeah. My bro Neptune's not here and busy, so is it okay to talk to you?"

Jaune nodded, "Always glad to help. Within reason," he thought he should add that last part from now on, considering he just got roped into fighting the White Fang.

Sun laughed, "Good to hear. Well, I liked her, I asked her out, and I got rejected," he shook his head, "I feel kind of empty right now. I don't know what to do."

"From my experience," Jaune said, "And it's mostly rejections, by the way, is to either try again or move on."

"From Weiss?"

"Yeah. It took me a while, but ironically, it was Weiss that got me over her herself," he chuckled a little.

"Really?"

"She's great at matchmaking. That's what she's doing with me right now, and because of that, she's completely unfocused on any romance for herself. She set me up with my partner. The relationship didn't last long, but I learned a lot from it."

"So she's a friend now?"

"Friend and mentor. Well, mentor in the sense that she pushes me out of my comfort zone to do things I'd never do."

"Like attending a White Fang rally?"

"That was just me being stupid," Jaune scratched the back of his head, "It wouldn't be the first time I didn't think things through."

"What's the phrase, birds of a feather flock together?" Sun wondered, "Because now that I think about it, that's basically what Blake does all the time."

"No way," Jaune scoffed.

"We went to the docks and she decided to reveal herself to ask a question instead of watching secretly like a normal person. Then this whole thing with the rally."

"Maybe she's just impatient," Jaune shrugged.

"Yeah but I think that's another reason I liked her. She's just so different from me I couldn't help but be drawn to her," Sun sighed, "I guess she didn't feel the same way."

"I'm sure as a cat faunus, Blake would tell you 'there are plenty more fish in the sea'," Jaune joked.

"Don't let her hear that, she doesn't like those kind of jokes, even from me," Sun chuckled.

"Good to know. Feeling better?"

Sun smiled, "Yeah. Not 100%, but this was a good talk. Thanks."

"No problem. Anything for a friend," he reached out his hand.

Sun took it and shook.

* * *

Weiss looked at her chart again. On the right side was Jaune, while the left was Sun. With Sun scouting ahead and failing, it granted Weiss a pseudo-save scum attempt analogue. She now knew that what Jaune currently has is likely inadequate, probably being on the same affection level for Blake as Sun.

Simply put, reading books and fighting the White Fang was not enough to date Blake. There was a facet missing. What did Adam Taurus have that Sun did not? Blake admitted to dating him at one point, sharing an intimate relationship. Was there something about him specifically that could help Jaune?

She pulled out a new piece of paper, and on it, was her information on Adam Taurus. Born in an overcrowded hospital in Mistral, he and his mother moved to Menagerie around the time he was eleven. A prodigy swordsman, he joined the White Fang and taught younger members how to defend themselves.

Based on the report she bought, a year in, the supreme leader of the White Fang reassigned him. He became his daughter's personal tutor. Well, a mentor-student romance must have blossomed, further egged on by shared ideology and conflict. None of that Jaune really had, except perhaps the White Fang as an enemy.

Wait a minute.

Daughter of the supreme leader of the White Fang and later Chieftain of Menagerie. A handsome prodigy senpai as a personal tutor. Lack of patience in getting results. A book collection as far as the eye could see. A weapon almost as fancy as Myrtenaster. That 2400 thread count silk black ribbon. Weiss found her answer. She pulled out her scroll and dialed Jaune's number.

* * *

"We're not dealing with a rebel with a cause. Nor are we dealing with an edgy Young Adult novel protagonist. We're dealing with the reverse," Weiss smirked as Jaune dodged a blow from Pyrrha.

"That's. Nice!" the Invincible Girl's javelin slammed into his gut, sending him back a few feet. He heaved, prompting Pyrrha to stop.

"I'm sorry Jaune. Why don't we take a break for you to catch your breath? Weiss seems to have something important to talk about," Pyrrha gave her a thumbs up, which Weiss reciprocated.

Jaune sat down next to Weiss on the stands. He took a few deep breaths before asking, "What do you mean 'reverse'?"

"Think about it, the average YA character is a normal person with a hidden heritage beyond their wildest dreams. Several, such as _The Queen of Red Dust_ and _The Heiress Journals_ , are about an average girl realizing that they're actually a princess to some fantasy kingdom."

"So Blake is…?"

"Think about it! In those stories, you have a normal, average, middle-class or lower girl trying her hardest to be high society or the leader of a small-slash-huge nation. Blake is the opposite, she's the Princess of Menagerie trying to be a normal girl."

Weiss stood up and declared, "Blake wasn't just hiding the fact she was a faunus terrorist, she was hiding the fact that she was a rich faunus terrorist!"

"... Okay," Jaune said. He blinked, "And?"

"Think. Think really hard. Imagine me, if I wasn't talking about dating sims."

Jaune scrunched his face. He's only known about Weiss' ahem, _eccentric_ hobby for a short time now, but it was hard for him to picture her doing anything else. What did he think of her before then?

He gasped, "I know what I've got to do."

Weiss smiled, "Good," the smile went away, "But you should tell me just in case it's a bad idea."

He nodded, "That would have been bad, yeah."

* * *

It was definitely a good thing he and Weiss talked things through. Otherwise he would have rented a butler suit for this. Weiss smacked some sense into him with a backhand to the head. Jaune chuckled at how she had to get on her tippy-toes to do it.

Despite the distraction, his mind wandered back to Sun. Was he okay with this? So soon after his rejection? Sun did say he liked the competition, but damn it, Jaune wasn't keen on this.

Weiss assured him it was fine. That almost put his mind at ease, if she hadn't been playing two video games at once while saying so.

In the end, he resigned himself to the plan. He sneaked into the library, avoiding the watchful eye of the librarian as he snuck in a large silver platter, courtesy of Weiss. The stuff inside was also her purchase, but he planned out what to buy. He thanked the gods there was one faunus restaurant back home.

He snuck into the library and down the aisles, passing by some bemused library goers, until he arrived at the nook.

Blake had her nose stuck in a book when he arrived, but the succulent scent of the platter's contents brought her nose (and face) up.

Jaune waved at her, "Hey, I got us some snacks."

She barely repressed her smile, "Jaune, you shouldn't have."

Wow, she really was trying hard.

"Oh it's fine. Weiss owed me a favor, so I got this whole plate of stuff," he pulled off the silver dome covering and revealed a selection of cut fish.

"I think it's Menagerian, although I'm not too sure. The folks back home never really said where they were from, I just followed the recipe with Ren's help."

Ren was eager to help, especially with the fresh ingredients Weiss provided.

Blake smirked, "That, my dear Jaune, is authentic Mistrali cuisine," she placed a bookmark and set her book down.

"That does explain why Ren knew what it's supposed to taste like," Jaune placed the platter on the coffee table and stroked his chin.

She shook her head and laughed, "Come on, I'll show how to eat this."

"You're from Mistral?"

Blake shook her head, "No, my family traveled a lot. I'm from Menagerie, originally, but I think I spent half my childhood in Mistral thereabouts," she picked up the chopsticks next to the sauce.

"Traveling what for?" Jaune clumsily picked up the chopsticks near him.

"My dad's job. It wasn't until a few years ago we returned to Menagerie. Even then, I ate this every chance I could," she picked up a piece of fish and dipped it into the sauce, before putting it into her mouth.

"That's interesting," Jaune tried to pick fish up, but to no avail, "I'm from a small town called Ansel, a ways away from Vale. It's more established than a village or settlement, so we've got things like Blondo Mollari and a toy store. It's peaceful for most people, but I grew up with seven sisters."

Blake widened her eyes at that, "Seven?! I've seen what Ruby and Yang get up to, I can't imagine five more."

"They weren't as violent, but my youngest sis was about as hyperactive as Ruby," Jaune waved, "And the third oldest was kind of like Yang, but it was pretty chaotic most days."

"You miss them?"

"A little bit, I'm thinking of visiting home at some point," he winced, "Although I'd have to explain the whole 'running away to be a huntsman' thing to them first."

Blake nodded, "I have… issues with my family as well. Let's just say I haven't been in contact with them for a while and leave it at that."

Jaune nodded, "Okay. How do you use these?" he gestured at the chopsticks in his hand.

She smirked, "Come on, you have to grip them like this," she took Jaune's hand into her own, then moved his fingers into the correct position, "Then you just move these two fingers up and down. Simple."

Jaune reached down to grab a piece of fish, and very delicately brought one into the air, only for it to flop down to the plate.

"It's a start," Blake smiled, "It took years as a kid to learn it, so maybe a few meals for you."

"Blake," Jaune smirked himself, "Are you asking me out on a dinner date?"

She blushed, "No. No. Just a lunch thing, with friends. You, me, and Weiss. And Yang and Pyrrha too."

"I'm kidding, come on, I'm going to try a few more times before using a fork," he reached down for the fallen fish.

Despite herself, Blake couldn't help but keep smiling.

* * *

They did eat again a few days later inside the student lounge. This time, Jaune and Ren made some kind of noodle soup. Weiss was also there.

Jaune and Blake sat next to each other while Ren and Weiss stared into each other, waiting for either of the other two to talk. For Weiss and Ren were going to be the greatest wingpeople ever.

"This is really good," Blake said as she munched on the wonton that came in the soup.

"Thanks," Jaune said, "Ren made the— ow! ow! I mean, I made the wontons."

Both Ren and Weiss had kicked him in the shin. What great wingpeople.

"This is great. It's as good as this nice restaurant back in Menagerie," Blake slurped her spoon.

"Oh my! I just remembered, Ren and I have to find Nora and Ruby before they set the Beacon forge on fire!" Weiss clapped her hands and stood up, along with Ren.

"Isn't the forge supposed to be on fire?" Jaune asked.

"Uh more fire than it should be. We really need to go. And we can't have more than the two of us because of…" Weiss waved her hand.

"Fire safety. Any more people and we'll be breaking the maximum occupancy of the forge, let's go," Ren and Weiss nodded to each other and left.

As the two wingpeople left Jaune and Blake alone in the student lounge, Blake said, "That happened."

"Weiss is insane and it spreads around," Jaune said, "It's too late for Ren."

"I'm fine it seems," Blake smirked.

"Don't be too sure," Jaune said, "Maybe you used to like proper literature before you met Weiss. FF could just be a phase."

"No way, I've been a fan long before Beacon," Blake shook her head, "My mother introduced me to them. Apparently she knew the author herself, under the pseudonym."

"I kind of want to know who it is," Jaune leaned in.

"I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I've narrowed it down to three or four people," Blake said, "The scariest part is one of the suspects is Sienna Khan, the current leader of the White Fang."

"I don't know who that is, but I am scared," Jaune nodded, "How is it?"

"How much of it was you and how much of it was Ren?"

"Noodles and wontons were me, soup was Ren. The garnish was from the bushes outside."

Blake smirked, "And I suppose the chopsticks were splinters from a tree."

"Definitely leftovers from Forever Fall," Jaune joked.

The two of them ate in silence. Then Blake noted, "You've gotten better at chopsticks."

"Yeah. Your advice was great help. It only took a few more tries and now I can get it to work more than half the time."

"That's pretty good."

"Yeah."

A few more minutes passed, and Jaune asked, "I don't mean to pry but, what was up with that guy at the rally, Adam Taurus?"

Blake froze, "You want to know?"

Jaune nodded, "He said some crazy stuff, about you being his beloved, and wanting to kill me. Imagine you dating him, crazy huh?"

Blake was silent.

Jaune frowned, "Blake? Did you actually date him?"

"He was different back then," Blake shook her head, "We were kids, and Adam taught me how to use a sword. It was a good time, you know? We were making the world a better place, slowly but surely.

"But," Blake sighed, "It wasn't enough. Things were still bad for faunus everywhere. I didn't really understand it, I've lived in what you'd call a bubble most of my life and Adam was the one that got me out of it. Even then, he was still the same optimistic guy. At least at first."

Blake put her chopsticks down, "Adam was like Sun, but years and years of the hate and disappointment wore him down. He always shielded me from it, and by the time I was strong enough, it had hurt him too much and he became who he is now.

"That's his and my story. He was my friend, we dated for a bit, but by the time I realized what he'd become, I'd already yelled at my parents, run away to the Fang, and blown up a train. There wasn't anywhere else to go but Beacon."

"Well," Jaune said, "From what I've gotten, Adam wasn't a very good friend."

She narrowed her eyes, "Explain well and I won't smack you."

"He always helped you and protected you and taught you," Jaune said slowly, "That's not what a friend or boyfriend does, that's a parent or older sibling. My big sis practically helped raise me and the rest of my sisters. That's just how family works.

"Adam tried to be your parent and then become your boyfriend," Jaune paused, staring at Blake's glare, "It's a bad dynamic, you're not equals, not really. And that's just not good for a romantic relationship. It might have been fine if you were just teacher and student, but I think he helped you out a lot more than just swordsmanship, right?"

Blake nodded, "He… he taught me so much more. Before I met him, I was the sheltered little princess of the White Fang. By the time my dad got a promotion and became Chieftain of Menagerie, I had changed," she shook her head.

"He changed me, he was an influence on me. My parents never realized it, and neither did I. When we argued about the White Fang and I left, we'd become strangers. Adam was the only one left. And then when I left Adam…"

Jaune reached and grabbed Blake's hand, "We're all here for you. Me, Weiss, Sun, Yang and Ruby, the rest of Team JNPR too. We're friends, ones that help and protect you, just as much as you'll protect us. Because we're all in this together."

Blake just stared into her bowl. A tense moment passed before she murmured, "Thanks."

* * *

It was the single strangest feeling. Blake was being hugged. Ruby and Yang had wrapped themselves around her while Weiss stood near them and smiled.

"We are in this together. Friends forever!" Ruby exclaimed as she squeezed tighter.

"What she said. Just hang in there, Kitty Cat," Yang agreed as she pressed her bosom into Blake's face.

Blake had to squeeze her head out to say, "This was your doing, wasn't it?"

"Jaune had a hand in it," Weiss said.

"Fine," Blake grumbled as she resigned herself to her squishy fate.

* * *

"For you, princess," Jaune handed Blake a fresh towel.

"Stop it. I get enough of it from Yang," Blake complained, but still took the towel anyways. Both of their teams decided to train together that day, a few days after Blake and Jaune's talk.

"You're lucky I didn't wear a butler suit," Jaune grinned.

"Even I know you're not that stupid," Blake rolled her eyes. Jaune coughed.

"Oh dear gods, really?"

"Weiss talked me out of it."

"Weiss 'I'm a body double' Schnee talked you out of it."

"I am extremely bad at this."

"Oh? Bad at what exactly?" Blake raised an eyebrow.

"This in general."

"And what is this?"

"It's, well... Blake?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you wanna go out?"

Blake shrugged, "Sure. If you stop listening to Weiss for dating advice."

Jaune winced, "You knew?"

Blake rolled her eyes, "Weiss spilled a bunch of papers in front of me by accident last night. It wasn't too hard to piece together the truth."

Weiss probably spilled it on purpose. She did say that honesty was important in a relationship. Jaune shrugged too, "Okay."

And then, they kissed. At some later date. But they did kiss. On a date. It was super fluffy and adorable.

**ROUTE COMPLETE**

**Knightshade End Achieved**

**Continue? [Yes/No]**

**Are you sure?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was the first one I envisioned for the story, so don't expect the others to arrive at a fast pace. Man, I hope future chapters aren't as long. I read a lot of YA novels in my teens. Now it's finally paying off.
> 
> Blake isn't a rebel, she's a rebel princess of Menagerie. That being said, there are novels where the main character starts off as royalty or high position before having to be normal. It's just the converse is much more common.


	4. A Little Reaper's Heart Can Grow! A Growing Girl's Heart is a Powerful Weapon! Ruby-chan! Dash, Dash, Dash into Love!

Chapter Four: A Little Reaper's Heart Can Grow! A Growing Girl's Heart is a Powerful Weapon! Ruby-chan! Dash, Dash, Dash into Love!

* * *

Ruby felt great when she woke up. No tests for a while, free time in the evening and day after, and her newest set of gravity dust cartridges arrived.

Not to mention all the cool stuff happening in the background: Jaune and Blake dating, Weiss being super nice to her after the two started dating, and Pyrrha was letting her tinker with Miló later in the week!

It was going to be a great day, she could feel it!

* * *

Jaune was scowling as he crossed his arms and scrunched his back. Across the cafeteria table, Blake was frowning into a book, her face completely covered. Every minute or so, she peeked over the book top and locked eyes with Jaune. They glared at each other before looking away.

Needless to say, for the rest of Teams RWBY and JNPR, things were awkward. Except for Weiss, who pulled out her scroll and typed away several messages, seemingly oblivious to the atmosphere.

Ruby knew that this needed to be fixed. She couldn't let her best friend and teammate be like this. She elbowed Weiss lightly, then whispered in her ear.

Weiss looked back and her and nodded.

* * *

Blake was lying in her bed, scowling at the ceiling. She also murmured insults and curses under her breath. Her teammates walked in front of her.

"Hey Blake?" Ruby asked, "Can we talk?"

"What?" she snarled back.

"Well, you've been really down, so we decided that we're going to make you less sad!" Ruby said, "We've got some free time before the next test, and Weiss already did all our homework for us," she gestured to Weiss.

Weiss gave a thumbs up, "The hardest part was copying your handwriting, but it should pass even the most scrutinizing eyes."

"Sooooo, we're going out to Vale!" Ruby clapped her hands together.

"What."

Yang grabbed a hold of Blake and pulled her in close, "Come on, all three of us, a night on the town. Maybe you'll get to find some lucky guy to take your mind off ol' Vomit Boy."

Blake grumbled before raising an eyebrow, "All three of us?"

Weiss gave a soft smile, "Sorry Blake, I'm going with Jaune."

Blake's eyes narrowed, "Traitor."

"Sorry," Weiss held up a hand, "But Ruby and I thought it through, and we decided a teammate exchange would prevent any bad feelings. I'm going over there, while Pyrrha goes with you guys."

As Weiss said that, the door clicked open and a redhead walked in, "Hello again, are we ready to leave?"

Yang grinned, "I know just the place."

"Whoo let's party!" Ruby cheered, pumping both fists in the air.

* * *

Ruby grumbled and crossed her arms, "'No drinking, Rubes, you're underaged.' Stupid Yang, leaving me out while everyone else gets drunk."

Ruby harrumphed as she sat in the corner of the bar. The underage section. She stared at her soda and grumbled at whatever drinking games everyone else was having. Pool? Jenga? She saw a ping pong table darnit!

She twiddled her thumbs, then glanced over the glass barrier. Yang and Blake were hugging and laughing. Pyrrha was… dancing? It kind of looked like it, maybe.

Sadly though, she was stuck there. Couldn't even join the fun as the one sober girl, since the guy at the counter wouldn't even let her in. Killjoy. She kept grumbling to herself, until she felt her scroll buzz.

Ruby fished it out and read the new text message:

_Last minute cancellation for one of our openers. Midnight, first round only. You in?_

She looked out to see Yang and Blake try their hand at dancing too. She replied: _Heck yeah._

* * *

Ruby tiptoed her way out of the bar and down the street, looking as casual as possible. Soon, she was at her location: Junior's club: Club Junior. It wasn't a very creative name. When she approached, the bouncer let her in immediately, to the groans of several waiting in line.

Once inside, Ruby took an immediate left and entered an 'Employees Only' door. Even if she technically wasn't one. That was super cool and always made her grin. A staircase down, followed by a few more turns and soon she entering a dark, almost empty locker room.

She spotted Junior talking on a walkie-talkie and waved at him. He finished his conversation and greeted her, "You're early."

Ruby shrugged, "I was already in town. My sis and friends are all drunk right now at Club Reed."

He nodded, "Your sister is the volatile sort. Unlike you, always dependable," he then spoke into his walkie-talkie again before speaking to Ruby, "You're up against a regular. Make it look good."

Ruby saluted and Junior walked out of the room. She then went to her locker and pulled out her equipment. Time to blow off some steam.

After waiting like half an hour. She smacked her lips. She should have finished her soda before leaving the bar.

* * *

Ruby walked down the hallway and up onto the stage. The underground room she was in was made completely out of concrete, stage included. Dressed in a helmet that shielded her face but allowed others to see it, she was nevertheless anonymous. Despite the large crowd, no one there knew her. She walked to one corner, passing by the referee/announcer, nodding at him.

"In this corner, we have returning guest, the five-foot-two Red Rocket!"

The crowd cheered and applauded, and Ruby even heard a few whistles.

"And in this corner, we have our regular, six-foot-five Bonny Bash!"

More cheers as a tall, hulking man in blue walked up onto the stage. Ruby raised her gloved hands and smiled. Time for fun.

Then in the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar color. Someone in white was waving at her.

Wait, Weiss!?

"Begin!"

Ruby barely had time to duck as her opponent began jabbing at her. Bonny's fist scraped against her hair as Ruby began striking back.

Unfortunately, Bonny uppercutted at the same time. The resulting gut punch was painful. The man had over a hundred pounds on her, and even with aura, she was not in for an easy time.

She had to ignore Weiss. Ruby staggered back before raising her fists again. A deep breath, and she launched herself forward with the slightest burst of her semblance. Her glove connected with Bonny's jaw, sending ripples across his skin. His aura rushed in to repair the damage, but by then Ruby's other fist collided with his chest.

Ruby pushed him with as much force as she could, using her speed to make up for the giant weight imbalance. It was definitely a spectacle. A tiny girl and a behemoth of a man duking it out, and for the most part, it looked even.

The crowd gasped as Bonny tried to smash his fist into Ruby's back from above, only for her to slide beneath his legs and rush behind him. Ruby spun and slammed her foot into his knee, causing him to stagger.

Bonny, to his credit, was used to this kind of maneuver from his shorter opponents. He swung both fists in a wide circle, aiming to catch Ruby in the jaw or neck.

As the fist came, a betraying thought reached the forefront of her mind: How did Weiss find her?! And Bonny's fist collided with Ruby.

Her semblance activated, taking a load off the powerful strike, but it was enough to send her to the ground.

"One. Two. Three! Bonny Bash is our winner!"

Ruby coughed out her mouthpiece as Bonny lifted Ruby up, "You okay, little lady?"

She nodded, "Yeah."

"You're usually a better dodger."

"Something on my mind."

As the cheers went around for Bonny, and a few glad reassurances for Red, the two of them retired to the locker room as the next fighters came on stage.

* * *

Ruby changed her clothes and checked out her body. No visible damage, that was good. As she closed her locker and walked out the room, she saw two very familiar figures waiting for her.

Jaune and Weiss stood there, arms crossed. Jaune had a worried frown, while Weiss just gave her a raised eyebrow.

What should she do? They knew for sure, there was no way weasel out of this. If Yang found out, it was going to be a nightmare…

"It was obvious, by the way," Weiss said first.

"Huh?" Ruby lost her train of thought.

"You were too pathetic a fighter without your weapon in our spars. You had two professional huntsmen teaching you, one of which was melee-oriented, as well as your sister. You should have a basic understanding of hand-to-hand by pure osmosis. Not to mention a quick review of the tapes of your first encounter with Torchwick revealed some discrepancies," Weiss drawled out, "Flipping a mook through a store window is a clear sign of martial arts training."

"Um…"

"Also, if Jaune can beat you in a fistfight, you let him win."

"Hey!" Jaune protested. Weiss raised her eyebrow at him and he relented, "Yeah that makes sense," Jaune looked at Ruby, "But besides that, why are you cagefighting? It looks really dangerous!"

Ruby bristled at that, "Not anymore than hunting. And they have vested interest in keeping me alive," she pouted and crossed her arms.

Weiss blandly looked at her. Then walked up to her and slung an arm over Ruby's shoulder, "Just so you know, I'm fine with it, I just wish my teammates would tell me pertinent information about themselves before I find out myself."

"You're not mad?" Ruby squeaked out.

"Oh I'm livid, but tonight is for Jaune, so I'll yell at you later," Weiss winked. Hard.

Jaune scratched the back of his head, "I did have fun though. It was really cool seeing you go up against that guy without any weapons. Like a different side of you. You were awesome."

Ruby felt a bit of heat rush to her face. She looked to the ground and squirmed, "Thanks," she muttered.

"Come on, the night is still young, and we have a few more matches to watch," Weiss grinned, "If I win all my bets tonight, I'll be in a happy mood and will let you off easy."

Jaune and Weiss grabbed Ruby by one hand each and walked back into the crowd.

* * *

Weiss did win all her bets and made tons of Lien. With it she bought a dozen "Red Rocket" t-shirts. The reason they were so expensive was because the illegal underground fight club Ruby was a part of did not sell t-shirts.

Ruby's cheeks were red as Weiss carried the shirts in a nondescript bag, singing a merry song whose lyrics Ruby swore were about her.

As they walked back to the Bullhead port, Jaune walked next to Ruby and quietly asked, "So, what's the story behind… all of that?"

Ruby looked at Jaune and laughed, "Back before Beacon, Yang got into a fight at Junior's club. She destroyed a bunch of property and injured like, a dozen employees. I found out about it, and feeling guilty for what she did, I asked what I could do to pay 'em back."

They entered the port and with a scan of their scrolls, were directed to a Beacon Bullhead, "Junior looked me up and down and asked if I was as explosively strong as her. I said no, but I was training to be a huntress. He made me an offer: fifteen matches in his fight club and that would be enough to pay back what Yang blew up.

"I was scared at first, but it was fun!" Ruby smiled, "I get to practice my hand-to-hand and I make money."

"You feel like an adult, all grown up," Jaune said.

"Yeah! So after a few months, I paid back what Yang owed and I was done. But I told Junior I liked fighting and wanted to keep doing it, even though I attended Beacon. So I do, mostly on off nights when I go to Vale."

Jaune shook his head and smiled, "That's crazy. In a good way I mean. It's like Pyrrha's tournament stuff I guess. Wonder why it's illegal."

Ruby entwined her fingers behind her head, "Official stuff is expensive and there's loads of regulations. Mostly because people are scared of aura users fighting outside of a completely controlled setting. They're not always as strong as hunters, but pretty darn stronger than cops."

"Well, I can't really judge," Jaune shrugged, "I've done my share of illegal and dangerous stuff. Sorry I yelled at you."

"Apology accepted," Ruby said, "Everyone forgets I'm not a little kid. It's fine, I'm used to it. But you owe me like, a hundred baked cookies."

"What if they're not good?"

"I know they'll be, Jaune," Ruby said as they boarded the Bullhead, "If you can cook for Pyrrha and Blake, you can totally bake."

"The way to a woman's heart is through her stomach," Weiss chided as she inspected the stitching of her shirts, "Do you think Pyrrha is a medium or a large?"

Ruby groaned as she pulled her hood over her head.

* * *

A veritable mountain of cookies sat before her. Chocolate chip, made with imported chocolate from South Anima. Ruby salivated at it.

"By the way Jaune, that's only forty-five," Weiss said as she typed away on her scroll. Ruby was always bored by whatever was on it, usually a math equation or some weird branching tree diagram.

Although Weiss did have a point. It was a lot of cookies, but definitely not a hundred, "Wait how did you count them without looking?"

"Jaune bakes in sets of twenty-four and dropped three earlier," Weiss said as her scroll made beeping sounds.

"Still owe me Jaune," Ruby grinned, "I expect the rest soon."

"Once I get more chocolate," Jaune bemoaned, "But there's none left in the student lounge."

"Already ordered, tomorrow or the day after," Weiss replied, "Although there is a 3.7% chance the package is lost in transit."

"Weiss, who was the third high chieftain of Elysium?"

"Gobin Derubaf," Weiss replied, "Not to be confused with Gobeen Derubef, sixth vice chieftain and seventh high chieftain," Weiss droned out.

"Weiss, are you a genius or just super boring?" Ruby asked.

Jaune gaped before laughing, "Boring? Weiss?"

"Of course she is!" Ruby threw her hands up, "She spends all her time training, using her scroll, or studying. Case in point, I think she's studying right now on her scroll."

Jaune peeked over Weiss' shoulder and shook his head, "Nope, she's playing a game."

"No way," Ruby said, "It's always graphs and numbers and stuff."

"Yeah, that's how Weiss plays dating sims."

"Pfffft Weiss playing dating sims, that's hilarious," Ruby chuckled.

"I'm being serious, Ruby."

"But she's Weiss. That's like Yang playing chess or Nora playing the violin," Ruby reached for a warm cookie and bit into it. Its gooey chocolate was heavenly.

"Really, just look at her scroll. There's a pretty dude on it right now."

"Nice try Jaune."

"If I wasn't looking directly at her scroll right now, even I'd be doubting myself, but it's right there!" he splayed his hands at her scroll.

Ruby rolled her eyes and looked over at Weiss' scroll, all while her partner was completely engrossed.

On the scroll was… a naked man.

Heat rushed into Ruby's face as she covered her eyes, only for them to betray her and peek through her fingers. Then the heat burned worse and she turned away.

"W-Weiss! What are you doing?!"

"Hmm? Writing a player manual for Rajikaru safu sutazu: Sanburokku bajon nashi," she responded, "A lot of new players have difficulty with the second and third routes, so I'm writing something to help them out."

"No! I mean why are you playing that filth!"

"This was rated 4.5 stars by four different dating sim magazines, twelve critics, including myself, and has been played by over 1 million people. I wouldn't call this filth."

"There was a naked guy on it!"

Weiss shrugged, "The author and artist spent months to create this incredible story of romance and adventure, culminating in the release of their passion on a calm and beautiful beach at sunset. It's not any worse than any of Blake's smut."

"Those are also filth!" Ruby squealed, then turned to Jaune, "You agree with me, right?"

Jaune scratched the back of his head, "To be fair, the entire time we were dating, I never read any of Blake's smut books."

"But you knew about it."

"Yeah. Weiss told me."

"And you didn't think to tell anyone about it?"

"Well no. It's not anyone else's business," Jaune sighed, "It's not illegal, and if you think about it, no one's being hurt. It's just a weird hobby."

Ruby grumbled, "Well I'm banning it. As team leader, no more filth in the dorms."

"Sure," Weiss said, still looking at her scroll, "Give me five minutes to write this part and I'll be done with Rajikaru."

Her partner narrowed her eyes, "No more smut at all after this."

"Sure, if you don't mind me informing Yang of your violent and dangerous hobby."

"You wouldn't."

"I _did_ buy a dozen t-shirts. They'll make great birthday presents," Weiss said, "You do realize that everyone here in Beacon, except maybe Nora, has consumed adult entertainment before?"

Ruby grumbled, "That's 'cause you're all adults who do weird adult things."

"It's actually more of a teen thing," Weiss said.

"Ugh, don't remind me. Signal was the worst," Ruby groaned, "It was always talk about cute boys and pretty girls and who's dating who. At least here everyone's busy enough to actually hunt and stuff."

"Still, Weiss' hobby is odd, but it's actually helped out a couple times," Jaune said as Weiss raised an eyebrow.

Ruby paused mid-bite then looked at Jaune. Then her cheeks turned bright red.

"Not like that! I mean Weiss has helped me date girls! You know how I've been like terrible at talking to girls and now I've dated two whole women?" Jaune jerked a thumb at Weiss, "She's giving me advice."

"So Weiss is helping you pick up chicks."

"Yes."

"Are you trying to pick me up too?"

Jaune was at a loss for words. Weiss glanced up from her scroll and spoke, "Perhaps. Your parameters are quite favorable."

Ruby fled the room, leaving her cookies and two friends alone.

* * *

Jaune glared at Weiss and demanded, "What the hell was that about?" he slammed his fists on the dining table.

"All part of the plan," Weiss said. She put down her scroll and looked at Jaune. Her frown wasn't out of anger. Why was she sad?

"You planned this out?" Jaune asked.

"To a degree," Weiss replied, "Honesty is important in a relationship, even a budding one. A foundation of lies will doom you in the end," she crossed her arms and stared at the wall.

"You have experience in this," Jaune said.

"Let's just say the concept of games as wish fulfillment applies to me," Weiss sighed, "Many have wanted to court me solely because of my name and all that comes with it. You are a rare exception."

"That seems like a paradox," Jaune said, "I thought I was a generic video game protagonist."

"We all want to be the exception," Weiss explained, "And we want to relate to the main character of a story. And thus is born the supposedly normal protagonist that is nevertheless special in some way."

"But," Weiss said, "We should get back on topic."

"So you planned the whole conversation we had with Ruby out," Jaune summarized.

"Most of it. I didn't want to take the time explaining my passion to her young, innocent mind."

"And you let me do it?" he shook his head, "Then there was the whole thing with Ruby cage fighting. You knew about that too."

"I did say it was obvious. She is my partner," Weiss said, "Believe me when I say I did this with the best of interests in mind."

"Your interests, no doubt," Jaune sighed.

"You'll understand in time," Weiss sighed, "But because of the way I've handled this, admittedly on an impulse, we may be in trouble."

"What do you mean—"

The door burst open.

"What on Remnant are you two plotting to do to my little sister?" Yang growled as she walked up to them.

"Well?" Yang crossed her arms and glared.

Weiss looked at her teammate and gave a smile, "What do you think he's doing?"

"I'm thinking about how Vomit Boy here has already started making moves on Ruby right after breaking up with Blake," Yang began tapping her fingers on her bicep.

"It was Weiss' idea," Jaune said, "I don't fully know why, but she's adamant on it for some reason."

"So that's it then? You're doing this just 'because'?"

Jaune scratched the back of his head, "I'm also her friend. And right now we're just friends. I promise things won't end up like Blake."

"It could be like Pyrrha, but that's a fifty-fifty chance," Yang said, "You better not break Ruby's heart. Just so you know, I'm keeping my eye on you."

Weiss looked at Yang, "Don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on him."

"Oh I know you are," Yang drawled out, "You've gotten Jaune to establish an interest, list mutual benefits, and spend time with her. What's next, offering my dad a dowry?"

Jaune and Weiss looked at each other in confusion.

"Okay, not that," Weiss said, "I was thinking of something more romantic."

"Just know there'll be hell to pay if you two screw up," Yang warned. She then turned around and stomped out of the room.

When she was out of hearing distance, Weiss spoke, "This complicates things."

* * *

Ruby frowned deeply as she stared at the ceiling. She was in her bed and she knew that Weiss would come back eventually. She just wanted time to think.

When she tried talking to Yang, her sister rushed out of the room, no doubt to confront them. She flipped over and groaned into her pillow. She did not want to have a conversation with Weiss.

Her scroll rang. Ruby looked at the new message:

We've got room tonight. 11 PM, open fist, up against a new one. You in?

Ruby began grinning. Yeah, this was something to take her mind off.

She rushed off her bed and to the Bullhead port. It was still a long time before the match, but she'd rather be away from Beacon. She can have her conversation later.

* * *

"In this corner, returning guest, at only five-feet-two inches and weighing in at less than a hundred-ten pounds, Reeeed Rooocket!"

Cheers and applause flooded the underground room as Ruby stood on stage. The announcer was the same man as before, although he seems to have gotten a haircut. It looked nice.

"And in this corner, we have a special treat for you tonight! A brand new fighter, never before seen. She's five-foot-three and almost a hundred twenty pounds, so we've got an equal matchup of two little ladies fighting each other with their bare hands!" the announcer roared as the cheers grew wilder, "Mud not included."

"Boo!" the crowd yelled.

"You'll have to pay extra for that, ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer spoke, "Introducing our newest fighter, White Wine!"

The applause was loud, yet tempered for the arrival of a new competitor. Ruby steeled herself. She wasn't wearing gloves tonight, nor a face protector. Bare knuckle brawl, womano y womano.

As the smoke cleared and Ruby raised her fists in anticipation, a woman walked onto the stage.

"Weiss?!"

Gasps across the crowd could be heard. What was Weiss Schnee doing here?

Weiss ignored the murmurs and stepped onto the stage, faced Ruby, and bowed. She then smirked at her, "Let's give them a good show, shall we?"

Ruby growled, "What are you doing here?" she whispered. Her fists were still raised up.

"Multitasking. You want to blow off steam, I want to have a talk. Let's do both," Weiss smiled.

"I'm going to beat you."

"Perhaps. Or I could beat you."

"You're average at hand-to-hand," Ruby said. The two began circling each other, as the announcer readied to start.

"I am. But I was the one in charge of our team's training regimen. I know your weaknesses inside and out. Let's see how well that holds up."

"Begin!"

Ruby rushed forward and began launching a flurry of blows at Weiss. In a split second, Ruby closed the gap between them. And then—

Pain! Pain rocketed through her abdomen, and she fell to the side. Then she saw. Weiss had twirled and kicked Ruby in the gut, hitting between her lowered elbow and her legs.

Ruby coughed out, "How did you?"

"Many White Fang attackers use a variation of street fighting, which is derived from a Menagerian school. Vale's variation is a descendant."

Weiss moved to backhand Ruby, who ducked and tackled her. Weiss kneed Ruby, only to be blocked by an arm. Ruby activated her semblance, and pushed her opponent to the ground.

As Weiss' back slammed into the stage, she wrapped her legs around Ruby's waist. Ruby began throwing hooks into Weiss' sides, dealing blow after blow to her aura.

Then a glyph formed beneath Ruby, launching her backwards onto the floor and allowing Weiss to roll over and get on top of her. Weiss then brought her elbow down and over Ruby's neck.

Ruby flipped to her left, throwing Weiss off of her. Ruby stood up and staggered. As Weiss began to get off the ground, Ruby rushed forward with her semblance and smashed into her. A flurry of strikes from many angles brought Weiss to the ground once more. A swift kick from Weiss sent Ruby away and enough time for the heiress to partially get back up.

Haggard breathing came from Weiss as she knelt on one knee. She could feel her aura healing her wounds, dwindling with each hit. She laughed through the pain in her ribs, "This reminds me of my childhood. Every time the White Fang attacked my home and I was without weapons, I'd have to fight them off myself. My bodyguards were always taken out first."

Weiss wiped her lip of blood. It was just a scratch and the wound had already healed. Yet the taste of iron landed on her taste buds, "What are you fighting for?"

Ruby slowly brought her fists and staggered. She answered, "For myself, nothing more."

"A worthy cause, even if the dolt doesn't realize it," Weiss said, "Necessity and want are two sides of the same coin."

"Blake was right. You are kind of crazy," Ruby blinked in surprise.

"A matter of perspective," Weiss coughed out.

In an instant, Ruby blurred forward, propelled to punch Weiss one final time and knock her out. At the same time, a glyph appeared below the heiress. For Weiss, time was dilated enough for a counterattack. With both of their auras so low, whoever struck next would surely win.

But then… should she?

There were two options available to Weiss:

Counter her attack, and win.

Allow her to strike, and lose.

Which one would allow for the most affection points to build? If Ruby lost, Jaune would be there and they would both bond over their general lack of wins. Jaune after all had won one sparring match this year (and tied a few days before breaking up with Blake, a marked improvement). Ruby on the other hand was mid-rank amongst their classmates, meaning she would likely rise to the near top by graduation.

However that was in the long run, not presently on either mind. Jaune was in a ringside seat, ready to get on stage as soon as the match ended. As Ruby drifted in and out of consciousness, Jaune would be there to nurse her back to health. She would come to realize that it was okay to not grow up so quickly, that sometimes it was alright to be pampered and doted upon.

Yes, that was a solid plan. But there was a wrinkle. Yang would catch wind of Ruby being knocked out. Even if the three of them covered it up well, there were still many unaccountable factors.

If Ruby were to win, Jaune would come up to congratulate Ruby, give her a hug, and the two would bond over their recent successes. Jaune was rapidly improving, and so was Ruby. Weiss would fade into the background, and Ruby would be one step closer to achieving her goal as a fighter, whatever that may be. Beating her partner, who just admitted to taking down White Fang goons as a child, was a milestone.

The win would lead to happy feelings that would bleed over into her budding relationship, allowing for more positive interactions. However, this would mean that Weiss would be knocked out and unable to deal with any deviations created by outside parties like Yang. Could she take the chance?

The mental tallies in her mind moved. The former would lead to a great boost in points, while the latter had a minor boost with gains in all later events. With everything included, both options will lead to a Good End with a very small probability difference. Thus, it would not matter who wins.

Therefore, Weiss should lose. If all else is equal, then she should choose the option with a bonus in happiness to her partner.

Yes, that was the correct choice. Weiss' eyes moved to Ruby's as she prepared to block. Getting knocked out by Ruby's fists could be avoided, but it was going to hurt. But then—

That look in Ruby's eyes. Weiss remembered how devastated Ruby was when she found out Jaune was "playing at dating". If Ruby ever found out Weiss threw the match for Ruby to get her with Jaune, it would…

It would destroy their relationship. Weiss didn't know how long Ruby and Jaune's relationship would last. It could be a week, it could be forever. And for one of the foundations of their relationship to be built upon a lie, well, it would spell doom.

They would fight, and a break up would be highly probable, and it would all be Weiss' fault. Thus, Weiss cannot throw the match. She must counter Ruby's final punch. She must defeat her.

The choice was made.

Weiss would parry Ruby's fist with her hand before striking her chest. The sudden stop would have enough force to break the rest of Ruby's aura. It was going to hurt Weiss' arm like a bitch, but that was the cost of victory.

Ruby rushed forward, her fist out and aimed for Weiss' face. Weiss turned her body and parried with her own arm. With her remaining hand, she pushed out towards Ruby's chest.

And then—

Weiss fell backwards and hit the floor. Pain radiated across her gut as she coughed. She tilted her head up and saw Ruby retract her other hand. Of course. She had enough breathing room to strike twice. Weiss shouldn't have hesitated. If she didn't spend all that time thinking, she could have won the match.

Well, no matter. As Weiss felt her aura bottom out and a shady back alley paramedic haul her off stage, she saw Jaune running up to congratulate Ruby, and! Ruby jumped in joy and hugged him.

Haha. Haha! In losing, Weiss won. Worth it.

And then she blacked out.

* * *

Jaune sat on the Bullhead back to Beacon in silence. It was a comfortable silence, one that reminded him a little bit of Blake. He shook his head, slowly dispelling the thought. He glanced at the sleeping Ruby on his shoulder, exhausted from her fight.

He then looked at Weiss, laying on her back with an IV sticking in her wrist. She didn't actually need it, she just demanded one put in her if she lost. She even provided the IV bag and needle. Weiss was out cold, but the shady paramedic assured Ruby and Jaune she was fine, just low on aura.

Weiss' eyes fluttered open as she turned to Jaune, "How's everything going?" she slurred out, but in such a ladylike fashion that Jaune swore she was only slightly tipsy.

"Good. Everything's good. You're going to be fine by the way," Jaune whispered.

Weiss rolled her eyes, then winced, "Ruby packs a mean punch. She's like a tinier Yang," she took a shallow breath, "Have you talked to her?"

"Yeah," he smiled, "We talked. I explained how you're basically a coach for me, and then she started laughing. Then she cried tears of relief. Apparently your insane training regimen for hunting made Ruby realize that you're just making me train in romance intensely."

"Love and war are the two most— ow," Weiss groaned, "Speaking in platitudes is too painful right now."

Jaune chuckled at that. And so did Ruby.

"You're awake?" he asked.

"Yeah, just now," Ruby yawned, "I can't believe the two of you are like best buddies now."

"Weiss is weird and I enable it. This should be your job," Jaune joked.

"Nah," Ruby snuggled against his shoulder, "Too much effort."

"Well I see you two would like some privacy," Weiss struggled to get off the bench she laid on. Then she fell to the floor, "Don't worry, I've got this."

Ruby and Jaune laughed.

* * *

Things calmed down afterwards. Jaune and Ruby hung out more often, playing video games, reading comics, and punching each other in the face as practice. Ruby and Weiss had come to terms and were friends again, partners once more.

One thing Ruby found odd at first was Weiss recusing herself whenever Jaune and Ruby were together. She quickly got used to it. Eventually, she started to like it. Then one day, her sister butted in after Weiss had left.

"So, what are you two doing alone?" Yang had walked in on the two of them.

Ruby turned to Yang, "Oh you know, team leader stuff. Professor Goodwitch assigned us some homework, something about tactics and charisma."

"Uh huh. Need any help with that?" Yang crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall.

"No, I think we're good," Jaune said, scratching out a line with his pencil.

The door burst open, "Yang! I need your help!" Nora burst in, waving her arms about.

"What?" Yang asked.

"Pleeeease? I need it! In the student lounge," she was waving her hands back and forth.

Yang rolled her eyes, "Fine."

Nora and Yang quickly walked to the student lounge. When they entered the room, they saw Weiss sitting in a chair, grumbling as her eyes stared up. Yang followed her gaze, to see Myrtenaster and Magnhild stuck to the ceiling.

"How did— How is it— What?" Yang gaped at the sight.

"Myrtenaster is sharp and pointed, causing it to get stuck after piercing the ceiling. Sticky paste stuck Magnhild to Myrtenaster," Weiss sighed.

"And the events leading up to this?"

"I wanted to say thank you to Jauney and Renny for cooking us so much good food, so we tried to cook our own meal and then, um," Nora stopped.

"Let's just say cooking is neither of our forte," Weiss said as she stood up.

"And why do you need me?" Yang raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't it obvious?" Weiss gestured to the ceiling. Then she gestured to herself and Nora.

Yang frowned.

"You're a giant!" Nora exclaimed, "We would have gotten Pyrrha, but she's training Ren right now, and everyone else is either too short or not in the secret!"

Weiss nodded, "So uh, can you reach for it?"

Yang sighed, "Sure, hand me a chair."

When Yang got back to the room, Ruby and Jaune were no longer there. Yang hummed to herself as she realized what had happened. Weiss was craftier than she expected.

* * *

Ruby and Jaune stared at each other. It was a game of skill, a game of mind trickery. A high stakes game where the loser does something for the winner.

"Go on Ruby, pick a card," Jaune said smoothly. Damn him. She looked at his hand. There were only two left. One was the joker, the other was the queen of hearts that Ruby needed to win.

The left, or the right?

It was clearly the most important decision between two choices anyone she knew had ever made. On left side was a card. It could be the queen of hearts, but it also could be the joker. It was a coin flip. On the right side was another card. It could also be the right card, but it could also be the wrong card. Jaune was right handed so that means the card on the right was the most recent one. But his right was her left! But didn't he shuffle his two cards when he got them?

She activated her semblance. She needed more time! Never mind that this was a casual game and Jaune had already been waiting for five minutes aaaaaahhhhhh—

Ruby picked the one on her left. It was the joker. Jaune picked Ruby's other card. He placed his last two cards down.

"So, I win," Jaune said.

Ruby nodded and gulped. What would Jaune ask Ruby to do? Cluck like a chicken? Tell him an embarrassing secret? Yodel in public?!

"Close your eyes."

Oh no he was going to draw on her face or mess with her stuff or worse: Make her wear a Red Rocket t-shirt!

Ruby a felt warm pressure on her cheek. her eyes opened up and saw Jaune! Kissing! Her! On the cheek!

He pulled back and smiled at her. She blushed redder than her cloak.

Unknown to either of them, Yang watched in the background with a slight frown on her lips.

* * *

A day passed, and Ruby was just blushing and staying silent whenever Jaune was nearby. Weiss saw this and questioned Jaune.

"We're in the final stretch," Weiss said as she filed her nails.

"Mmhmm," Jaune said.

"Meanwhile, I've been working out some plans to deal with Yang. It's slow-going, but I don't think you'll die."

"Yes, not dying makes me feel better," Jaune rolled his eyes.

"It was on short notice," Weiss harrumphed.

"Still, I finally understand why you did this, Weiss," Jaune leaned back, a soft smile on his face.

"Oh?" Weiss said, "What was my reasoning for rushing us headlong into Ruby's route without any protection from Yang?"

Jaune chuckled, "You didn't want to see me sad anymore."

"Go on."

"You told me before that Ruby was a quick route for the rebound, and you've said that nothing fixes a broken heart like time and more love."

"I haven't said that."

Jaune scratched his chin, "Okay that might have been a grocer back home, but I think it's still valid. So?"

"You've gotten it in one," Weiss said, "You're becoming proficient at the logic, well done."

"Well, thank you Weiss. And thank you for setting me up with Ruby. Thanks for trying to help me."

Weiss smirked, "Well? Go get the girl, idiot. The dolt's waiting for you."

He chuckled, "Yeah, she is. Gotta go."

Jaune left Weiss alone in the student lounge. Weiss was busy though, for she had to work out how to keep Yang from killing Jaune. She looked through her notes and grinned at the prospect. Perhaps this screw up will lead to some very interesting times ahead.

* * *

"Hey Ruby," Jaune said.

Ruby turned to face him, her cheeks still burning.

"Hey," she mumbled out.

Jaune stood a few feet from her, leaving her room to work with, "Sorry about kissing you out of the blue like that. Sorry if it made you uncomfortable."

Ruby shook her head and took Jaune's hand, "Don't say sorry," she whispered, "I liked it."

"You did?" he asked.

She nodded. In a split second, Ruby stood on her tippy toes and moved her lips to his. And in that moment, Ruby won.

* * *

Yang looked through her scroll as she petted Blake's hair. Her partner was lying down on her bed, sleeping. She looked peaceful right then, something that Yang appreciated.

It had been rough for Blake since the breakup, and Yang was sure Ruby was dating Jaune now. She didn't want her sister to have the same end. Something had to be done.

Yang thought back to what she had figured out. Weiss was involved in this. She was not only coaching Jaune, but egging him on and on, first with Pyrrha, then Blake, and now Ruby.

But why? Yang scowled quietly. Weiss was playing a dangerous game, and it was now a thousand times more dangerous now that Yang Xiao Long was involved.

**ROUTE COMPLETE**

**Lancaster End Achieved**

**Continue? [Yes/No]**

**Are you sure?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The concept for making Ruby a cage fighter stems from a scene in the first episode of the show, where Ruby throws one of Torchwick's henchmen out a window. She pulls out Crescent Rose after that. But it's established later on that Ruby sucks at fighting without her weapon, so that scene always felt odd to me.
> 
> So I turned it into this whole thing. We do get Ruby and Weiss punching each other, so that's a plus.


	5. Interlude: Glynda-Chan!

"Now Miss Goodwitch, please recount the incident as you remember it."

Glynda Goodwitch sat on the opposite end of a metal table inside a dark concrete interrogation room. It was actually the second interview room of the Vale Police 1st precinct headquarters, but she had a history with rooms like this. They were always for interrogations.

"I had arrived in Vale to shop at Blondo Mollari, you know, that store where blondes shop at?"

The detective nodded. He was a man in his thirties, clean shaven and wearing a standard police uniform, "I am familiar with it. How long before the rally was this?"

"About an hour. I browsed the wares, but I didn't make a purchase before I heard gunshots in the distance," Glynda was as stoic as she always was, although she kept up a base level of politeness.

"That shop is three blocks away. You must have pretty good ears," the detective said.

"My semblance leaves me with some odd perks. Certain sounds tend to collect near my ears."

"Convenient, although," he pulled out a video tape and placed it in front of her. He tapped it and raised an eyebrow at her, "I've actually personally gone through the surveillance logs of the nearby shops, including Blondo Mollari. Yet, I do not see you anywhere. Strange. Any explanation?"

Glynda shrugged then yawned, placing her hand over her mouth, "My semblance again. Sound and light waves curve around my body, a natural side effect of gravity manipulation. I don't always appear in people's, or camera's, sight. It's very convenient when dealing with Grimm."

"I assume so. I'll have to request an update to your USIU file, however. Standard procedure and all that."

She nodded, "Completely understandable, although I will be checking the record later for accuracy. May I ask your name, detective…?"

"Lagoon. Detective Leitus Lagoon, homicide department."

Glynda frowned, "What is a homicide detective doing investigating the White Fang?"

"What do you think?" Lagoon leaned back into his chair and crossed his arms, "Please continue with your account."

"I quickly approached the source of the sound, using my semblance once again. I propelled forward and entered the warehouse. I saw Adam Taurus about to launch a powerful attack at two of my students, so I stopped his attack. And then him," she shook her head, "Surely I don't need to recount it in all its details."

"Try as best as you can," Lagoon said.

"I was angry, I think I insulted him, he lunged at me, I stopped him with my semblance. Then a short pink woman appeared in the middle of my gravity field, grabbed Taurus, and teleported away in a flash of light," Glynda grumbled.

"And that's it, correct? Anything else you would like to mention?"

She shook her head, "No. I was interviewed beforehand, but that was weeks ago. I also gave my students detention afterwards, but that's about it," Glynda frowned, "What does this have to do with a homicide?"

Lagoon frowned, "Adam Taurus was found dead a few days ago. Besides the teleporter, you might have been the last person to see him alive."

Glynda scrunched her brow and frowned, "You think she killed him?"

"She has a history of homicide, although guns aren't her MO," he said, "Still, thank you for your time. If you can think of anything, give me a call."

"I suppose so, thank you, Detective, for calling me out here at eleven in the evening," Glynda sighed, "At least it didn't interfere with classes."

She stood up from her chair, as did Lagoon. He held out his hand and she shook it, "Always glad to be of help," Detective Lagoon smiled.

* * *

As she left the precinct, Lagoon took out a voice recorder and spoke, "Glynda Goodwitch, huntress and professor at Beacon Academy, claims ignorance in the death of Adam Taurus, leader of the Vale White Fang. I don't think she killed him, but she definitely knows more than she's letting on.

"Her excuse for lying about her location prior to the White Fang rally, aka Incident 45-B, is plausible and allows for her to lie further. Recommendation for the Unique Semblance Investigative Unit to audit her claims.

"As it stands, Adam Taurus was found dead with thirty-seven gunshot wounds from six different rifles. I believe it to have been the direct result of gang violence, although I suspect an unknown ulterior motive to have been the initial cause."

He put the recorder away and looked into the camera on the ceiling. He was going to have to check to see if Goodwitch flickered in and out of existence on camera. Beacon Academy would also almost surely call and ask about this incident. It was just a simple interview, but nothing was simple in this day and age. His boss would probably want to know why they were getting vaguely threatening queries from the huntsman academy too.

Detective Lagoon sighed.

* * *

I groggily woke up and rubbed my eyes. Fell asleep on my desk again, looks like. At least I didn't drool on any student's papers. Gods, when was my next class? I pulled out my scroll and blanched. Ten minutes, great.

I wiped my lip and cheek of any saliva, then walked over to my cabinet in my bedroom. With a flick of my wrist, purple energy spewed from around me and encompassed my clothes, the cabinet, and the nearby kitchen.

My clothes came off, unzipping and unbuttoning, only to be quickly replaced by an identical item. Sometimes you find a style that just works. In the kitchen, a kettle began boiling water as a mug floated next to it, tea leaves already inside.

Next I walked to the bathroom, changing out my contacts. Then my spectacles flew to me, and I placed them on. I like the look, but the contacts are necessary, giving me green eyes over my real blue. I stretched my neck and yawned as my cup of tea landed in my hands, my hair tying itself into a neat bun. A shower was needed, but it can wait until lunch.

Five minutes left. It would not do to be late. A professor must set a good example for her students. I strolled out of my door and down to the classroom. Second level sparring for the first years, in teams of two. Halfway there, and I realized I forgot my lucky coin.

An old Atlesian coin, minted after the Great War but before plastic currency, it was the last treasure of a world that never was. That had a nice ring to it. Sounds like it'd be on the jacket of a book.

I passed by another colleague late as well, "Morning, Bart."

"Good day, Glynda."

My brisk pace led me to my classroom, and I arrived shortly before class began. I slowly walked to the front. I mustered up an air of confidence, one that made it seem like I came in at the right time. I was not late, this was deliberate.

As far as I could tell, it worked.

"Good morning class," I said in my teacher voice, different from my normal voice, if hard to distinguish. My normal voice sounds like a girl from the boonies. Because I am from them. I continued, "Today will be a team exercise, with each team…"

* * *

After class, I retrieved my coin before a short meeting with Ozpin and Ironwood. It was the usual talk: maidens, Grimm, Vale crime, politics, the end of the world, White Fang, it was depressing at the best of times.

General James Ironwood had arrived at the school ahead of his own students, who were due to arrive in a short while.

"Glynda?"

"Hmm?" I blinked before turning to James, "Yes?"

"You seem distracted," he said.

"Quite," Ozpin said after sipping his coffee, "What is on your mind?"

"Just thinking about the students," I replied, "Another strange incident involving Miss Schnee it seems."

Ozpin nodded in understanding, while James asked, "Weiss Schnee you mean?"

"Yes, your right-hand-woman's sister," I explained, "She, along with three other students, recently tried to investigate a White Fang rally by themselves."

"One of our… agents pegged Miss Schnee as the mastermind behind the incident, as well as further reports concerning her odd behavior," Ozpin said.

"Yes, although as I've said, I feel little concern for her behavior. She's just a very eccentric teen," I said. Of all the things Weiss Schnee could be doing, matchmaking was the most benign. A vastly better outcome.

"So why are you worried?" James asked.

"I expect a feud to break out among the members of Team RWBY, and as a teacher, I feel it will spill out and affect other students. Should it last long enough, it might even affect the transfer students," I sighed. Weiss Schnee was always a wild card.

Not to mention all the stuff involving Jaune at the moment, and how he is at the center of it all. He never was good at staying out of trouble.

The conversation quickly turned back to updates on Amber's condition (getting used to her prosthetics, still recuperating inside the vault), the strange dust thefts (nothing new), and the missing Paladins (they still don't know who has it).

Eventually, we said our goodbyes and went to perform our separate duties.

* * *

When I was a little girl, I didn't want to be a huntress. I wanted to be a businesswoman.

I wanted to be the next Nicholas Schnee, pioneering the world of commerce and making a name for myself. But life on Remnant was never exactly easy.

I got my coin when my father visited the kingdom of Atlas, and gave each of my sisters and brother a gift. My father misplaced the toy horse he'd gotten me, so he gave me the coin instead, saying it was special, once held in the hands of a Schnee. I laughed and became enamored with it, keeping it in my pocket every single waking moment.

It took a long time, but I eventually did get around to making business deals, although my parents would have definitely preferred I chose different business partners.

That afternoon I was free, so I made my usual trip to Vale. Like all people performing illicit activities, I arrived at an empty warehouse, dressed in my usual white dress clothes and black cape. The cape makes me look cool and mysterious.

"You're late, Glyn Glyn," Roman Torchwick gloated as he took a drag of his cigar.

"You're early," I raised an eyebrow and glanced at Neopolitan licking an ice cream cone.

"I still owe the runt," Roman winced as Neo kicked him in the shin, "For subbing for me at the rally. And for disguising herself as edgelord Taurus. I'm honestly surprised Cindy hasn't caught on yet."

I shrugged, "Just keep it up. Not like it's hard. Just rant about faunus inequality, vow revenge on humans, and kill things."

Neo grinned and nodded frantically.

He sighed, "So yes, your insane plan to replace Adam Taurus with Neo is working. Except for the part where his body was found with enough lead in him to give the coroner poisoning."

"It's an unfortunate setback but I have a plan," Really, I did. I just needed to fine tune it. Yep.

Roman rolled his eyes, "The White Fang is laying low right now, but their plans in Mountain Glenn are still a go," he frowned, "I still don't know how you knew about that. I found out the details just a week ago."

"Life is full of mysteries, and you're a bit character in them," I replied with as much mystique as I could muster.

"Wow, you are so full of shit. If you didn't handle Taurus like he was a wet blanket, I'd be laughing right now."

Yes, that was how the state of affairs were, weren't they? We needed each other. He wanted to survive being Cinder's lackey, and I needed an inside man.

Neo's there too. She waved at me as she bit down on the waffle cone.

Ozpin didn't know about this. He would have been worried that I was telling Roman much at all. He probably would have also worried about my gang connections that led directly to a man's death.

To be fair, Adam Taurus was a monster.

"Good ol' Cindy tried to set me on fire yesterday, so I'm working extra careful. I delivered the Paladins to the White Fang, with your modifications, as you've asked. What else is there?"

"Watch out for Griffons."

"Yeah yeah, you've told me that four times."

"Then nothing. Keep working for Cinder, avoid Griffons, especially Griffons flying above Atlesian airships," I repeated.

"Pfft, you are a strange as hell woman. But, the strongest huntresses always are," he took drag from his cigar.

Neo waved again as she held up two empty hands.

"Yeah yeah, we can get another one. See later, Glyn."

I rolled my eyes. As the two of them left the building, I took a step forward, and watched reality crumble around me.

* * *

I've had a long time to master my semblance. On its surface, manipulation of gravity seemed like a simple ability, but if one took their time to understand relativistic physics, things begin to become not so simple.

Space can be thought of as a sheet of fabric. The planet Remnant and the sun can be thought of as marbles on the fabric. The bigger the marble (as in bigger mass), the more the marble curves the fabric when left on it. That curve draws other objects closer to the marble, and as a result is a two dimensional representation of how gravity works according to the Theory of Relativity.

My semblance manipulates gravity, therefore, I can curve space. If I make a curve deep enough, it can puncture through the fabric of space and lead to an entirely different part of the fabric, a shortcut. This is the basis of a wormhole, and indeed is the same principle Raven Branwen instinctively uses for her semblance.

So yes, I can in fact create portals. They take time and effort, but I can appear anywhere I wish, although I avoid showing it off to people. My single greatest trump card should not be used lightly.

Why did I just use it now? I'm just exhausted.

I appeared a few miles away, inside an apartment I purchased. With a heavy sigh, I sat down at a wooden desk and pulled out some plastic bottle of tea I had lying around. I placed my Atlesian coin down on the desk and took a sip.

The coin began to emit green sparks. I pulled out a small mirror and uttered a childish phrase, "Mirror mirror look at my tea, show the current Weiss Schnee."

My mirror flickered, a white light emitting on it until it faded to show something else.

* * *

Weiss glared at Ruby and Jaune, her eye twitching slightly, "What do you mean both of you are going to fail Oobleck's next test? Jaune had an A last time, and Ruby, you were doing fine earlier this month!"

Ruby squirmed. Jaune scratched the back of his neck, "Well you see, I kinda sorta guessed on a lot of the questions last time."

"Define 'a lot'."

"Uhh, forty?" he squeaked.

"... There were only one hundred questions on that exam. Show me your answer sheet."

"Um…"

"Now."

Jaune gulped and pulled it out of his backpack. He slowly handed it to Weiss, who snatched the paper and scanned the sheet.

"You… you got every single guess right. Of the sixty you did answer without guessing, only fifty were correct. Somehow, through incredible luck, you got a 90% on it," Weiss squinted at the paper.

"Is that good?"

"No. Because probability dictates this score is incredibly unlikely. You hit the veritable jackpot, but based on your doodles, you have only a 65% chance of repeating this fortune."

Ruby raised her hand, "That's actually really good. Jaune can guess like there's no tomorrow!" she beamed.

Jaune blushed, "That's sweet of you to say."

Ruby grinned through red cheeks.

Weiss coughed, "While Jaune has an incredible luck stat—which reminds me, I need him to roll in my gacha later—it will definitely run out sooner than later. I'm estimating one exam and two life-or-death situations at the most. Which is why I'm going to teach both of you my study method."

Ruby clapped her hands at that, "Ooh how do you get straight As? And memorize like a bajillion names and dates of the top of your head?"

"That's half memorization strategy, half natural ability to recall information. That being said, I'll show the other method I use to study. Behold!" Weiss wheeled out a chalkboard from around the corner. It was completely filled to the brim with diagrams and words, all written down with flourishing handwriting.

Jaune raised his hand, "Is this what I think it is?"

"Indeed!" Weiss said, "A complete psychological profile of one Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck, with annotated notes from his classroom lectures, homework assignments, and published academic articles and books. Study this chart and it will guarantee you at least a 90%, without any need of luck."

"Never mind, I was wrong. I thought it was a cheat sheet," Jaune lowered his hand as Ruby giggled.

Weiss rolled her eyes, "The remaining ten percent is hard work and determination, by the way. I will mentor you two in that."

Ruby booed as Weiss pulled out a pointer. Ruby grumbled as Jaune sighed.

Weiss pointed at the chalkboard, "Now let's start from the top left. The early Chieftains of the first…"

* * *

I stared at the mirror and rubbed my eyes. Shit, I think I was too successful in pacifying Weiss Schnee across my multiple attempts.

With one touch, the mirror turned back to normal and pulled out my scroll. I typed out a plan of action to Neo. It was the best I could do on short notice, if we wanted to avoid Cinder's suspicions. After I finished, I sighed.

There was much to do, but nothing else could be done now. I had free time, but all of it was spent worrying. Maybe I should just take a nap. Yes, that would do. A nice nap to recuperate, maybe even with a nice dream.

And with a single thought, I jinxed myself so hard. My eyes closed as I leaned back into my chair and dreamed of a past I'd rather forget.

* * *

"There's no one left," I sat still after the realization hit me. It was an empty field on the outskirts of my hometown. I had searched everywhere, and there was no one.

In all of Ansel, not a single soul was left. No humans, no faunus. Just me. I clutched my coin and I cried that first night.

A month passed, and I began wandering the roads. My semblance was new to me back then, at most I could pick up small objects and spread dust in people's eyes. Grimm were still around, but in smaller numbers. I couldn't fight them. I ran away.

It took me days before I had found the city of Vale. For that was where my brother had run away to, all those years ago. Another month of wandering the streets came before I found someone else. It was a boy only a couple years older than me.

He was spooked at first, but he cried when I smiled at him.

"You're real, really real," he'd said, "I thought I was the only one left."

"I did too," I said. I told him my name.

"Ozpin," he replied.

"The headmaster?" I frowned.

"Yeah, let's just call it a semblance for now. But I really am him."

The next few months passed in a trickle. We talked about nonsense and passed our time exploring the empty city. He was incredible, able to take down a Beowulf in one strike.

In time, he taught me as well. He helped me hone my semblance, allowing me to pick up Goliaths and toss them around, to bring Nevermore down from the sky. It was a small bit of happiness as the world fell apart.

Then one day, even that came to an end.

The wind changed as a black cloud began swirling with lightning as a dragon's head appeared from within, searing the landscape with its blood red eyes.

"She's coming," he quickly whispered, gathering all my things in a rush and pushing them into my hands, "You have to stay quiet okay? Let me do something that will keep you safe."

A bright glow came from his hand. It was every color and yet none of them at the same time. As his index finger touched my forehead, he chanted, " _May you be unseen and undetected, lest your mission fail. The very last drop of my power shall become yours. I beseech you, oh lords of this world, for I am Ozpin, the only survivor._ "

When he finished, he rushed out into the clearing, screaming at the churning storm like a madman, arms out wide.

"You win, Salem! You hear me!? You win! No more devotion to the gods, no more teammates or allies, no more friends and family, no more schools and students, you have me all to yourself! Are you happy now?!"

Lightning struck the ground before him as a pillar of thick black smoke fell from the heavens, "You and me, alone in the end! Isn't that what you wished for? Well I'm here now!"

Another bolt of lightning slammed down next to Ozpin and he shouted, "Come on you bitch! Take what you deserve! I'll say it again and again forever! I! Will! Never! Lo—!"

Thunder drowned out his words as a bright light filled the empty world. The storm above screeched and raged and turmoiled before it imploded into nothing, scattering black ash onto the ground below.

When it was all over, I rushed over to him. A burnt cinder, there was no hope of him being alive. I parted his black hair, burnt an even darker shade than before. His freckles were gone, covered in black. Just a few minutes ago, he was alive with so much youth and life and now, he wasn't.

As Ozpin laid dead, I wept.

But I didn't weep for long. The hairs on my neck stood up as I felt energy in the air. I turned around to see a bright blue ball that slowly morphed into yellow. It was as if the sun had landed on the ground, blinding me.

When the light subsided, I saw a lone figure. A young woman my age had appeared from the ball. She had a stoic look and wore a blue beret.

She stepped towards me and asked, "A survivor?" she tilted her head and raised eyebrow, "Strange. Perhaps you have a Haven?"

"A what?"

The woman held up a coin— an identical one to my own— and asked, "Do you have one of these?"

I nodded quickly as exasperation filled me, "Yeah, I, I have one."

"Then that explains it," she said.

"Explain what?" I asked. A strange feeling hit me in the chest. Nothing was right, It was all too much, "What's happening right now?"

"The end of Remnant," she said, with little emotion on her face. As if the world dying out was just a typical day, "The last person in an empty world," she shook her head, "Survived only by luck."

"How am I alive?" I whispered.

"The coin. It protects agents from Category One extinction events."

"Agents?"

"Temporal agent," she stuck out her hand, "Agent Ciel Soleil, I'm here to survey this version of Remnant and determine whether it can be saved."

"Save it? But everyone's gone already."

"Perhaps so, but what if I told you that time travel was possible? That the mistakes of the past can be prevented?"

I barked out a laugh, "The only other person in the entire world just died to a giant monster thunderstorm, after everyone else vanished right after all four kingdoms fell to the Grimm. Then you show up in ball of light. Of course time travel is real, what isn't?"

Ciel tapped her chin and looked away in thought, "Talking crabs. Those are not real. At least not in this universe."

I just frowned at her, "Are you being serious?"

She tilted her head at me, "Of course. This Remnant has a somewhat unstable timeline that can be rewritten a number of times before inertia sets in. If the changes were made on the inside, it will help the stability without a doubt. How about it?"

"Are you… recruiting me?" I whispered.

"Sure, why not?" Ciel gave me a soft smile, "You want to change what has happened here, don't you?"

I nodded, "Can I?"

"It will be difficult. There's no chance of success and you'll spend years doing potentially unsavory things to correct the end."

"Yes. Anything."

"Follow me. We'll have to give you orientation from AC," Ciel gestured me to enter to glowing orb. I ran forward into it, propelled by my own semblance.

Several months later and twenty-one years earlier, I staggered back to my feet and walked in the cold to Atlas Academy. As I entered the atrium door, a teen named James greeted me, but I waved him off. I had work to do.

* * *

Urgh. I wiped my eyes of sand and sighed. Now I have a headache too. I glanced at a nearby clock and looked into my looking glass once more.

"Mirror mirror, less than zero, show me Adam who's actually Neo."

* * *

Adam growled at Cinder and her subordinates. Or, rather, Neo disguised as Adam created an illusion that made a sound similar to a person growling. Since she was mute.

"I faked my death," the fake Adam said, "The police and Beacon want my head. It is not yet time to reveal the White Fang's designs to the world. Not until Mountain Glenn and the festival. Then, we will control the narrative."

Cinder Fall looked at him and smiled, "Very well. If you are to lay low, then dear Roman will take the reigns for the Glenn operation, while your second-in-command rallies your subordinates together."

"I am keeping my death a secret, and my life an even closer kept one. In the meantime, I have unfinished business to attend to."

Cinder waved him away dismissively, "So long as it doesn't interfere with anything important."

Fake Adam growled again and left.

* * *

I massaged my temples as the headache worsened. At least that was solved. A loose thought hit me. My mind was always worrisome. I would have to ease it, "Mirror mirror, full of wonder, show me my older brother."

The mirror flickered again to show Beacon Academy, inside the hallway of the first year dorms.

"Hey Weiss, what are you doing up?" Jaune said as he yawned.

Weiss sat down in front of her door in a dressing gown with bleary looking eyes, "I had a bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jaune sat down next to her. He wasn't wearing footie pajamas anymore, something that Blake had taken offense to and forced him to change.

"In the dream, I was… a monster. A monster in human form. I killed Blake and Sun, and forced you and Pyrrha into some evil mind game. Ruby was there, working with Penny and a police officer trying to take me down," Weiss shuddered, "I killed people because I was bored. But what scared me the most was how much it reminded me of a bad time in my life. Did I ever tell you how I started playing video games?"

Jaune frowned and shook his head, "No, not yet at least."

"I was eleven when the White Fang first attacked my home. Back then, they were even more wasteful than now. That very first bomb killed half a dozen of their own members. I remember just standing in my bedroom, a dozen dead bodies surrounding me. But to tell you the truth, I wasn't scared," Weiss whispered.

"You weren't? Why?"

"I-I was curious. I looked down at a White Fang member that tried to attack me, only to be stopped by Mister Sieben, my butler. It was surreal. The way everyone was just laid out and the blood and and—" she shivered.

Jaune draped his hand over her shoulder, "It's alright."

Weiss sniffled, "In Mister Sieben's hands was a present. He wanted to give it to me for my birthday. Him! An old butler in his sixties, wanted to give me something! He made so little, I was so so shocked he spent his own Lien to get me something," Weiss shook her head.

"It was called Reaping Sun, a kids game about running a farm. I liked it well enough. But one thing I was deeply intrigued by and fretted over was trying to get my character to fall in love with this other character using gifts and events," Weiss yawned.

"Sounds like a fun game," Jaune whispered.

"It was. They some sequels that were also pretty good too," her eyes closed, "The idea of the romance captivated me because it reminded me of, well," Weiss murmured as she drifted off to sleep.

The door to her room opened and Ruby popped out, "Jaune, how is she?"

"Well she rambled on about the time she watched a lot of people die and how that led to her playing dating sims," Jaune said.

Ruby nodded, "She had a rough night. Apparently a new horror dating sim came out and I think it drudged up some bad memories for her."

Jaune nodded, "Yeah that makes sense. Did she mention any weird dreams?"

"Yeah, something about me being a reformed yan-deer-ay, Pyrrha's a stalker, and Blake was made into a puppet by a girl named 'Ilia'?" Ruby shivered, "I guess Weiss doesn't like horror and it gives her really vivid nightmares."

Jaune shook his head, "Come on, help me get her back into bed," he carefully lifted her by the shoulders as Ruby carried her by the legs.

* * *

I adjusted my spectacles in concern. Memories from another timeline were bleeding through it seemed. Luckily, Weiss was troubled by the mere thought of committing murder. I bit my lip and closed my mirror.

Jaune was comforting someone. I didn't think he had it in him, to be the shoulder to lean for anyone else but me. I'm glad he can be.

I sighed. I will never be Cerise Arc again, but I'm fine with that, if it means saving my family.

* * *

Interlude One: The Strict Teacher Calls Him Big Brother?! Time Traveling Little Sister, Claim Your Onii-Chan! Isn't This Plot Getting Convoluted, Weiss-chan?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, that is an explanation of Einstein's Theory of Relativity in a fanfic about Weiss playing a real life dating sim. The USIU is a concept I dabbled with a while back. It's essentially CSI in a world where a large percentage of the population has unique semblances.
> 
> I needed a little sister archetype that wasn't Ruby, since it's almost obligatory. As such, I decided to throw in the time travel trope so common in anime and RWBY fics in general.
> 
> Don't worry, there will only be one other interlude, and it will be a few chapters down the line. Next time we return to our normal stuff.


	6. Body of a Bruiser! Mind of a Strategist! Onee-san of Burning Victory Emerges?! Striking Fist of Vengeance Cradles His Heart! Eh?! Love Turnabout is Fair Play?! Tuck and Roll, Jaune-kun!

Chapter Five: Body of a Bruiser! Mind of a Strategist! Onee-san of Burning Victory Emerges?! Striking Fist of Vengeance Cradles His Heart! Eh?! Love Turnabout is Fair Play?! Tuck and Roll, Jaune-kun!

* * *

Jaune woke up very, very quickly. That's because someone grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him off his bed, then threw him out the window. There was an ear splitting crack and though the broken glass, he saw a wild mane of blonde hair and glowing red eyes glaring at him.

He screamed as he fell from the fourth story. Wind rushed past him and his dorm room shrunk in his vision. He braced for impact with the pavement. Then he bounced.

Jaune gasped. His impact onto the hard, cold concrete was way softer than he expected. Jaune blinked and saw blue fabric on all sides. He was on… a trampoline? How did—? He turned to see Weiss in her nightgown, glaring up at his dorm window.

By this point, their classmates from all over the building were looking out their windows to find out what was all the commotion. Weiss sighed and shouted, "You're so predictable, Yang!"

She turned to him and said, "This was merely a message, not even the opening move."

Then, Weiss walked away.

Jaune looked up to see Yang, staring down at him. He gulped.

* * *

Breakfast was awkward that following morning. Jaune stayed quiet and tried to avoid Yang's further ire, while Ruby glared at her sister on the opposite side of the table.

"Yang, I told you a dozen times, we broke up as friends," she said through grit teeth, "It was mutual, I'm not hurt. It just didn't work out, like with Pyrrha."

At the sound of her name, Pyrrha awkwardly waved at them. She then tried to shrink into the background with Jaune. It did not work. She was terrible at being inconspicuous, no matter how much Jaune and Weiss tried to teach her.

"And I told you, sis, that this isn't about that. It's something much more," Yang said, pointing her fork at Ruby. She then raised an eyebrow at Weiss, who sat next to Ruby. The heiress was listening to some music through a pair of earbuds, eyes closed.

"And I don't believe you," Ruby grumbled, "It was one bad break up. Jaune isn't a player or whatever it's called," she took an angry bite of her sausage.

"Oh he's a player alright, just not the right one. I don't really care about him."

" _Then why did you throw him out a window?!_ "

Yang shrugged, "You wouldn't understand," she had tried to get Weiss' attention for days now, but the Schnee was always busy and out of their dorm room. She also wasn't responding to messages or scroll calls. Even at breakfast, Weiss was not having a conversation with her.

"Yang Xiao Long and Weiss Schnee, meet me in my office immediately," Professor Goodwitch announced on the loudspeaker to the entire cafeteria. Everyone heard, and by then, everyone knew about what happened the night before. Over a hundred pairs of eyes looked at their dining table.

Weiss took off her earbuds and handed her leftover food to Ruby, who grumbled. The heiress turned to Yang and smirked, "Well then, let's get this over with, shall we?"

A raised eyebrow came from Yang, "Not yet. Why don't we explain to everyone here first about what's going on?"

Ruby raised her hands up, "Actually yeah, I'd like to know what the heck is happening."

"It's simple, Ruby. Your dear older sister has declared war on me. Why exactly is beyond my understanding, but I will persevere nonetheless," Weiss explained. She faced Yang, hands on her hips and right foot on the seat, "I accept your declaration. For I am Weiss Schnee, Goddess of Dating Sims!"

A wide predatory grin spread across Yang's face, "So Blake was right, you do have balls. Very well then, 'goddess'," Yang made air quotes with that word, "Let me make this formal. I, Yang Xiao Long, Empress of Grand Strategy, officially declare war on you. I will make you regret what you're doing."

"And what have I done?" Weiss asked.

"Yang Xiao Long and Weiss Schnee, if either of you are not in my office in the next five minutes, you will both face a suspension," Professor Goodwitch uttered across the academy.

They left the cafeteria with haste. The cafeteria returned to normal, whispers of conversations could be heard, gossip over the hamminess of Team RWBY. The two teams themselves just ate in silence.

Jaune then spoke up, "There's an Empress of Grand Strategy?!"

* * *

"You two have a lot to explain," Glynda Goodwitch paced back and forth in front of her desk. The two teens sat in front of her, heads tilted down.

"Professor Goodwitch?" Weiss raised her hand, "I didn't throw Jaune out a window, I stopped him from hitting the ground with my trampoline."

"Yes and I thank you for that, Miss Schnee," Goodwitch gave both of them a very grave face, "Even so, your trampoline indicates prior knowledge to Miss Xiao Long's assault."

"To be fair Professor, I also anticipated Yang throwing him through a wall. It was a fifty-fifty chance," Weiss explained, "But I'm sorry I didn't inform anyone about my suspicions."

Goodwitch nodded, "See that you do next time. You are dismissed."

Weiss curtsied and left. Yang began to move as well, but a quick glare from the professor made sit up straight instead.

The professor turned to Yang and sighed, "What am I going to do with you?"

* * *

Weiss called Jaune as she walked back to the dorm, "We need to coordinate."

"Coordinate how?" Jaune said from a different wing of the academy, "Actually you know what? Scratch that, I am not doing this with you. I literally just flew out a window."

"It was unfortunate but inevitable. We can't do this alone," Weiss said, "We need allies in this next route. We need wingmen, and I know just the ones for the job."

* * *

"Sorry Weiss, as much as I want to help, I can't," Ren said apologetically, "Nora was vassalized half an hour ago, and we're a package deal."

"I may be a vassal now, but just you wait, an assassination here and there and I'll be empress! Mwahahaha!" Nora cackled.

Ren sighed and Jaune gave him a confused look. Ren raised his hands in exasperation.

Weiss grumbled at the obvious betrayal in their ranks while Jaune sighed. Ren gave them both an apologetic smile. Weiss harrumphed and dragged Jaune out into the hallway.

"She's planning something. I don't know what, but it's going to be big," Weiss crossed her arms and glanced at Jaune, "And you are my instrument. Yang doesn't know yet, but she's going to fall for the blonde noodle."

"Oh? I don't think so," Yang walked up to the two of them. Jaune instinctively held his hands up, which Yang waved off, "I'm not doing anything to you, Vomit Boy, as long as you stay out of my way. Weiss Cream is mine."

Jaune gulped and stepped back.

Weiss rolled her eyes, "Can't get decent help these days," she turned to Yang, "So Goodwitch let you off easy. I wonder why."

Yang shrugged, "You can guess if you want. Our battles have only begun."

"Indeed," Weiss said, "I would like to remind you that I have something you don't have: resources. It's going to be a long battle."

"You think so?" Yang smirked, "Try buying something with your credit card."

Weiss raised an eyebrow at that, but still pulled out her scroll. She searched for a figurine of the main heroine of Raburesa Redux 3, dressed in her top-tier racing uniform, complete with removable clothes and under-lingerie. The attention to detail was astonishing for an affordable price of 60 Lien.

She pressed "Buy". Then, a message popped up on her scroll. Her card was rejected.

Weiss' eyes went wide, "Impossible… Unless…"

"The power of connections," Yang smirked, "My Uncle knows General Ironwood, and General Ironwood knows your dear old dad. A little message from me has him concerned."

Weiss narrowed her eyes, glancing down as her father left a voicemail, "I see we're not playing nice."

"I'm not playing though," Yang said, "Life isn't a game, and yours is over. I can Schnee the ending, and in it, you lose."

* * *

Weiss grumbled as she tossed away her credit and debit cards. Her checkbook too, and stuffed them underneath her bed. She was out a few hundred thousand Lien that came with her allowance as heiress, but she can make do. Her father wasn't her only source of income.

She pulled out another checkbook from an account under a false name. She had just a bit under eight thousand Lien from the bets she placed at Ruby's underground fight club. It wasn't as much as before, but it was enough for the time being.

Things had changed completely. The game was no longer a standard dating simulator, no it had become Player versus Player. Well, it was time to brush up on the other player's profile.

She pulled out a copy of Reclaimer Queens II and walked to the library.

* * *

A few hours later, Jaune waited for Weiss outside the library. Apparently she wanted complete concentration to speed run through the game. Since the game was open ended, Weiss was probably going to be stuck for a while.

He sighed as he munched on the tart Ren made as an apology for not being a wingman. Jaune wasn't sure what Yang was using them for, but he hadn't seen them since breakfast.

Jaune closed his eyes and thought. It was the same old thing with Weiss, once again. The fourth time already that she decided to drag him around, teaching and pushing him to woo women.

That's how it's been. But now he felt tired. Exhausted. Hell, if what Weiss said was right, that falling out a four story window was the opening act to the route, then he was in for his toughest ride yet. And that's including the time he _fought a terrorist_.

Maybe it was time. Maybe…

"Hey Jaune."

"Hey Yang," Jaune said. Then he realized, "Yang!?"

"Oh hush," Yang grinned, "I'm not going to hurt you," her wide grin did not make him feel better.

"Somehow I don't believe you," he snarked before realizing his mistake.

Yang snorted, "I didn't know you could be this sarcastic. That said, I really am sorry," she said, her head bowed down ever so slightly, before bringing it back up, "Does it make you feel better if I told you I knew that Weiss knew?"

"No. No it does not."

"Oh," she scratched her arm, "How about if I told you I aimed for the trampoline?"

"Barely any better," Jaune sighed, "Why are you here? Weiss is… I'm not entirely sure what Weiss is doing."

Yang put her arm over his shoulders, "I'm not here for Weiss, I'm here for you," she pointed a finger at his chest.

Jaune frowned, "Why?"

"Simple. You know Weiss better than anyone else here. Even more than Ruby," Yang shrugged, "It did take Rubes forever to realize that Weiss was a gamer. Hell, it took her a year to find out I was one."

He blinked, " _Ohhhh_ so that's what you meant by 'Empress of Grand Strategy'!"

Yang snorted, "Yeah, what did you think it meant?"

"Ruby said it was something you won in a contest."

Yang laughed, letting go of Jaune's neck, "Not even. I'm just the girl with the best streams and playthroughs, according to most of the people on the forum. And the highest score by an ironwoman game's end."

"I don't know what that means."

She lightly slapped him on the arm, "Come on, why don't I explain this to you over dinner? It's past nine already."

Was it really? Jaune felt the gnawing pit in his stomach and smiled, "Sure."

He didn't need to join in this fight. He didn't want to get on Yang's side only to date her. Jaune was tired.

Maybe it was time to stop playing games with Weiss.

* * *

Weiss grumbled as Team RWBY got ready for bed, untying her hair and and brushing her teeth.

"What's wrong?" Ruby skipped up to her, pulling out her own toothbrush.

"RQ2 is annoying," Weiss mumbled as she spat into the sink, "Vassals are confusing, war requires a convoluted system of claims and raising armies to work, and people keep stabbing me in the back. I also can't advance technologically at all."

"Yeah, Yang's hobbies are weird," Ruby brushed, "I still don't know why she even likes it so much. All she does is be a medieval jerkwad for thirty hours straight."

"Where is she anyway?" Weiss asked.

"Dinner with Jaune," Ruby said.

Weiss gave an unsure look, "Are you… okay with that?"

"It feels weird, but I think I'll be fine," Ruby frowned, "Did you ask Blake when he started seeing me?"

"... No, I'm afraid. I focused all my efforts on you and Jaune that I forgot to even think about her," Weiss sighed, "My plan to romance you was rushed and full of holes but, Jaune was just so sad."

"Yeah," Ruby said, "It was the same for me. I wanted to help both of them stop feeling bad, no matter what."

Weiss smiled, "And that's why I pegged you with the Rebound Queen modifier. You're too sappy."

"Hey, what about you? You're the one who turned up at a fight club to get Jaune a girlfriend," Ruby smirked.

"Schnees don't get sappy, we work quickly to fix the problem," Weiss said as she exited the bathroom.

"Schnees, hmm?" Ruby shook her head and went off to bed.

* * *

The next morning, the two teams ate breakfast together again, although things were odd, to say the least.

Once Jaune sat down, Yang came in and muscled her way to sit between him and Pyrrha. Weiss meanwhile sat glumly with Ruby. Ren and Nora meanwhile sat by Blake.

"And that's why puns are a genius art form, and not liking them is for those who simply don't enjoy the rush one gets for making a great connection between two words that sound the same!" Yang slammed her fist on the table.

From the other side, Weiss glanced over to see Jaune laughing as well. She grumbled to Ruby, "And to think, all the good I did for him."

"Didn't you drag him into it?" Ruby shoveled scrambled eggs into her mouth.

"He wanted advice on romance, and I got him to date three of his classmates. Need I remind you he's kissed Pyrrha Nikos and an actual princess?"

At those words, Nora pulled Blake's hand up and waved it at Weiss, who waved back.

"For the last time, I'm not a princess!" Blake bemoaned.

Weiss ignored her, "And now he's hanging out with Miss 'Armies and Political Intrigue'. How is any of that even remotely useful in everyday life?"

"We are hunters. And maybe Jaune one day will lead an army," Ruby pointed out.

The heiress scoffed, "And here I thought my own partner would side with me. I would like to remind you that Yang threw him out a window."

Ruby shrugged, "Blood is thicker than water."

"Blood of the covenant is thicker than water of the womb. Get your ancient quotes right."

"I'm surprised Jaune hung out with you as much as he did," Ruby bemoaned.

Weiss crossed her arms again and grumbled. Ruby patted her on the back, "It's alright, it's just a bad breakup."

"We weren't even dating. And you were his last girlfriend!" Weiss threw her hands in the air.

"Shhh shhh it's alright," Ruby whispered.

Weiss grumbled some more.

* * *

The next few days were odd for Jaune. He hung out with Yang every day, and it that time they joked, chatted about stuff, and she taught him the intricacies of large scale tactics using her favorite board game: Remnant: The Game. With Ruby and Nora, they had a full set of players.

Jaune took to the game like a fish to water.

"I play Cross Continental Ballistic Missile," he placed a card down.

"And I'm dead," Ruby threw her cards on the table. She grumbled with Nora at the unfairness of it all. Nora herself lost after Yang led an army Grimm into her capital city while a riot overtook her people.

Nora decried her traitorous peasants as Ruby bemoaned her apocalyptic wasteland. Now Yang and Jaune were alone to duel, a battle of wits that would surely culminate in something—

Yang grinned, "I play Ancient Towering Statues that Walk."

"Um… I already used CCBM, I've got no counters."

"Not to mention your armies are exhausted from your campaign against Ruby, your navy is no match for mine, and my people's culture is subsuming yours. Game, set, and match," Yang laughed, "That's 267 lifetime wins in a row."

"Wow," Jaune said over Ruby and Nora grumbling, "How come you're not a team leader?"

Ruby rolled her eyes, "Here it comes."

"Why is the question, and also the answer," Yang grinned.

"I don't get it."

"Y not? Why aren't you getting Y I'm not the first letter in RWBY?" Yang nudged him in the shoulder.

"Ohhh," Jaune blinked, "Wow that's a lame reason. Really?"

Yang shrugged, "It's fine. I'm a big picture gal, my tactics in the arena are 'punch, get punched back, punch harder'. It's simple and it works."

"Yaaaannng, you're gonna fail one day. Not everything can get punched," Ruby chided, "When all you have is a hammer…"

"Everything looks like an explosion!" Nora jumped up.

"Close enough!" Ruby agreed.

Yang rolled her eyes, "Come on Jaune, you agree with me right? As a team leader, surely punching is a great all-round strategy, right?"

Jaune paused to think deeply. Eventually, he inhaled and said, "While hitting things really hard definitely works like 90% of the time, sometimes you have to change things up. Because some people have really weird abilities," he looked at his three friends, "I fought a really powerful guy at that White Fang rally, who stored the energy of people that hit him before shooting it back out as an energy beam. Like, if you punched him hard, you'd be dead after he hits back."

Yang raised an eyebrow. At the look, Jaune nodded.

Ruby said, "Yang's the kind of person who plans before a fight. She only fights people she knows she can beat, which I think takes the fun out of matches."

"Hey! I do not!"

"Now that I think about it," Jaune scratched his chin, "When you went up against Pyrrha, you did know about her polarity, somehow, but you didn't really capitalize on it."

"It was going to come to me," Yang said.

"She's beaten you four out of five times," Ruby retorted, "And that one time you won, it was because Pyrrha tripped."

"That counts!"

Ruby rolled her eyes while Jaune patted Yang on the shoulder, "The fact that you won at all is great. No one else comes close to touching her. She really likes that about you."

Yang turned her head, "Really?"

"Yeah, it's also good for me as team leader since I can actually measure her," he waved his hand, trying to come up with a good word.

"Difficulty rating?" Yang proposed.

"That sounds right," Jaune smiled. Yang and Ruby laughed as Nora began setting up the pieces.

"Anyone want to play again?" Nora smirked.

Ruby, Yang, and Jaune shrugged and nodded.

* * *

On the other side of the library, Weiss glared into her class notes. Opposite to her was Ren, who was copying his own notes for Nora. After twenty minutes of doing so, she pulled out her scroll and began playing the incredibly dumb but also mildly enjoyable Gurintara no kudamono.

Gods, the main character's backstory was just one edgy dark bad thing after another. His sister's backstory was also incredibly stupid. Everyone involved had to make the worst decisions to create the sad backstory. Maybe it was just how colossally idiotic everyone acted, but Weiss found it charming, in its own strange way.

She needed a pick-me-up, something to tide her over until…

Bah! Weiss needed to do something! With a quick glance, she left her seat and waltzed over to Ren, "What are you doing?"

"Studying the notes for Professor Port's lectures and giving them to Nora."

"I see," Weiss said, "You're missing the part where he explained the weakness of Lox Grimm."

"He mentioned that?"

"Thirty minutes into his story about his journey to the Invisible Castle of Wondrous Snow and Ice, it came up. They can be toppled over and they take a few minutes to get back up."

Weiss spent the next hour going over Ren's notes, supplementing them with her own knowledge. It did well enough to ease her mind for the rest of the day.

As Weiss made it back to her dorm room, she decided to do a quick cleaning for Myrtenaster. As team leader, Ruby drilled into her head the practice of prudent weapons maintenance.

When she got there, she found Nora whistling nonchalantly. Weiss glared at her, "What did you do?"

"Nothing~" Nora said in a singsong voice.

Weiss raised an eyebrow and entered her locker combination. It was obvious that Ren was used as a distraction while Nora did… something. She opened her locker to see nothing was missing, modified or moved. Curious. What was Nora after?

She looked back to see Nora humming to herself. Weiss cleaned her weapon and left the locker room, with Nora following suit.

* * *

"Hey Yang," Jaune bounded up next to her, "Want to catch a movie with me? I've got early showing tickets to Bombshell 4 this weekend."

"No way," Yang gaped.

"Yes way," Jaune grinned, "My dad knows one of the actors through his work, and he sent them to me. How about it? It'll be my way of thanking you for helping Pyrrha, and apology for teasing you."

"Count me in," Yang rubbed her hands together, "Who else is coming?"

Jaune sighed, "As it turns out, no one else wants to come with. Blake and Pyrrha aren't fans of action movies, Nora has very strong and negative opinions on the main leads, Ren thinks movie popcorn is too unhealthy, and Ruby is doing something else," he counted off on his fingers while carefully leaving out Ruby's hobby.

"Just the two of us, eh? Well well, thanks for asking me out on a fun date," Yang gave him a shit-eating grin.

"No way," he shook his head, "I'm done dating for now. Can't a guy ask the girl who threw him out a window to watch a movie with him, as friends?"

Yang rolled her eyes, "Sure. You're just lucky Bombshell is the best action franchise. And that you got tickets."

"Definitely," it was crazy actually. He received the message from his dad, congratulating him for following his advice and dating someone. It was weird how he knew about any of that, but it probably was…

Damn it Weiss. He pursed his lip slightly. But it was Bombshell 4: Spirit Order! It would be an absolute waste to not use these tickets. It's fine, all he has to do is keep things platonic between him and Yang.

* * *

Things were not going platonically. While they were watching the movie, both he and Yang must have subconsciously gotten closer together. By the time they got to the climax, their shoulders were touching, and they'd entwined their fingers together.

Yang didn't seem to notice, and just cheered as the protagonist crashed his Bullhead into another Bullhead into a raging waterfall. Well, it was nice.

She's probably just into the awesome action. Yeah, that was it.

* * *

Things were going according to plan. Oh sure, Yang got excited and definitely liked the movie, but it wasn't a jaw dropping experience. No, the real event was the doofus sitting next to her.

She pegged him as the sort of innocent goofball who wanted to be a knight in shining armor, but simply didn't fit the role. She understood that feeling. Yang wasn't like Ruby, who wanted to be a hero and was already halfway there. Yang wasn't a hero.

No, she had to be subtle, hidden in plain sight. Fame and glory could be hers, but it was never going to be the main goal.

Her current goal was stopping Weiss Schnee. To stop her, she needed to know more about her. To gather information on her, what better way than the guy she trained in the art of seduction? It wasn't like Jaune could seduce her.

That's why Yang wrapped her arm in his. A subtle move that implied much more. In the corner of her eye, she saw him staring at her. She inwardly grinned as she drank it in. All according to plan.

Wait was that Geoff Ramsey and Ryan Haywood?! Holy shit it was them! And they're playing a song! Best cameo ever!

* * *

After the movie, they stopped by a diner. Both of them got double cheeseburgers with fries and shakes. Yang raised an eyebrow at his order, "With all the cooking you and Ren do, I didn't think you'd go for this."

"Sometimes you want something large, greasy, and weirdly filling," Jaune shrugged, "And Ren's the health nut. I on the other hand want to try a bacon-wrapped steak at some point."

"Sounds fun," Yang said, "So you and Weiss…"

"We never got together, first," Jaune said as he took a bite and swallowed, "Second, I'm not betraying her. I'm tired of all this stuff we're doing, but I'm not going to spill her secrets or anything. Not like she has any," he took another bite.

"Right," Yang raised an eyebrow, "What exactly do you two do? Because all I see is you dating girls and leaving them before moving on."

"Weiss was adamant about that. She only helped me get together with them, not keep the relationship. Something about how matchmakers only worked in the beginning, and if a relationship needed maintenance by outside forces beyond family, it probably wasn't going to work out," Jaune sighed, "You satisfied?"

"I was expecting a bit more explanation into how you guys chose your targets," Yang slurped her milkshake.

Jaune shrugged, "Pyrrha's my partner, and Weiss was certain she had a crush on me."

Yang frowned, "She didn't? I could have sworn she did."

He threw his hands up in the air, "I don't know what you guys were seeing, but it's something Pyrrha and I didn't. After that was Blake, who happened to be in the library the same day I broke up with Pyrrha."

"'Happened to be', sure," Yang made air quotes.

"Blake and I had a falling out. It was a mutual falling out, that much we agree on. Then Weiss dragged me and Ruby together because she wanted me to be less sad. Something about the Rebound Queen?"

She tightened her fist, "I see," she said tersely as her eyes flickered red.

"Yang?" Jaune asked carefully.

"Sorry, it's just, that phrase she used, it's something my uncle used to describe my mom," Yang shook her head, "Of all the things to call Ruby."

"I heard about what happened to her. I'm sorry for my word choice."

She shook her head, "It's alright. My mom was the best, she raised me and Ruby, even though I wasn't really her kid," Yang whispered, "Ruby idolized her, and so did I. There was a dark point in my life after she disappeared, and I spent a lot of time trying to fill that gap."

Yang sunk into her seat, "I tried to find my birth mom, and after that, I tried to be like my real mom. Let's just say I've got mixed results."

Jaune nodded, "It's tough living up to legacy. I've tried to live up to the Arc name for an ancestor I never met, against my dad's wishes."

"Parents want what's best for their kids," Yang said, "Being a hunter isn't always the best."

"Yeah. But it's what I want to do, even if it's dangerous."

"Heh, it's the same for me," Yang stretched, "My dad has his concerns with what I've chosen, but he's supportive."

"Really? Ruby said your dad was all for you two being huntresses."

"Well, I didn't mean that."

"Ah, your gaming then," Jaune ate a fry, "How did that start?"

"Saw a game on a shelf, it looked interesting, asked my uncle to buy it," Yang munched her burger, "It's like that for most people really."

"Huh," Jaune scratched his cheek, "That does sound normal."

"That's me, normal girl here," she jerked her thumb at herself.

"You're not normal, you're awesome."

"Daw, is that something Weiss taught you, or is it just your awkward self?" she gave him a grin.

"All me, she's been off the radar for a bit now," Jaune frowned.

"She's probably sucked into RQ2, I know I was for a while."

Jaune felt his scroll buzz and pulled it out, "Why is Nora calling me?"

* * *

Weiss stared at Nora. She stared back. As it turned out, the wannabe queen was not sabotaging any of her equipment. Rather, she was following Weiss everywhere. And it was definitely everywhere. The locker room, the bathroom, the cafeteria, their classes, even her dorm room when Yang wasn't there. Weiss had severely underestimated Nora's attention span.

Well no, she didn't, because every ten minutes Nora would wander off in another direction before running back to Weiss. Then when she tried to contact Jaune, Nora just dialed his number at the same time, making him busy.

It was like that for days, days she could have spent working to figure out why Yang wanted her to stop, and how to stop Yang first. In that time, Yang hung out with Ruby, Blake, and Jaune. Things were still awkward between the latter two, but at least they spoke to each other. Weiss wouldn't know, Nora kept dragging her off to do things with Ren.

Weiss frowned as she watched Ren meditate, "How long must this last?"

Ren shrugged, eyes still closed and hands in his lap. To his right was Nora balancing a pencil on her nose.

She sighed. Those two were dutiful in their work, making progress reports to Yang and even keeping track of Weiss' movements. With the two of them, it was going to be impossible to get any plans in order to boost Jaune and Yang's relationship meter. It had to be careful too, since Jaune was probably suffering from fatigue. Such was the perils of pairing with a casual gamer.

Something must be done before Yang finishes with him. If only Weiss could get away from her stalker duo. Then, epiphany.

Weiss wrapped an arm around Nora's shoulder, "What can I do to convince you back to my side, hmm? My success rate speaks for itself. Perhaps after all this is over, I can be of service to you."

Nora tapped her chin and made her 'thinking face', "You drive a hard bargain, Goddess of Dating Sims. Huh, the acronym for that is GODS. It's better than Yang's: EOGS. If I join your side…"

"Anyone in Beacon that's not already taken. Think of the possibilities," Weiss said. She then blinked and looked over at Ren, "Aren't you going to stop Nora from committing treason?"

He shrugged, "Technically I never swore allegiance to Yang."

"Very well, man of no faith," Weiss declared, "So, what's your choice, Nora?"

"Yes!" she pumped her fist in the air, "Let's do this!"

"After this route is complete," Weiss smiled, "Now if you'll excuse me, I must make some calls."

* * *

"That is a huge crowd," Jaune said to Yang. She wanted to go the recently announced, impromptu concert by The Achieve Men, Yang's favorite boy band. Pyrrha balked at the idea of a large crowd and went with Blake to a book signing elsewhere. Ruby, Weiss, Ren, and Nora were apparently going to the arcade.

Either way, everyone else was missing out. It was The Achieve Men! Over two thousand people had gathered in the streets of Vale, surrounding the giant black stage as personnel got ready.

It was a strange event, taking place at sunset in the middle of the shopping district, no tickets required. There were official vendors selling souvenirs, at discounted prices too! Yang got herself a t-shirt and wore it proudly. Also posters. One can never have too many posters.

"This is going to be awesome!" Yang rubbed her hands together.

"Yeah!" Jaune agreed. He didn't really know any of the band's music, but he did want to attend a concert at least once. It was hard to go to them when you grew up in the middle of nowhere.

As the speakers turned on and an instrumental track began playing, the crowd cheered wildly as the lead singer, Ryan Haywood, stepped out on stage and yelled out, "Hello everybody! Let's rock!"

Cheers rang out across the square. Ryan spoke into his microphone, "Tonight it's time we talk about love," the other members arrived onstage and picked up their instruments, "A fellow singer taught me about love. Love is something that builds slowly. Love is something that just pops out of nowhere. It comes in many forms, but the one we're gonna talk about tonight is!"

The song started and Yang started yelling at the top of her lungs along with half the crowd. The love ballad they played pumped them all up. Jaune enjoyed that song, and the song after that, and the one after that. He had to admit, they were good.

An hour in, and the band finished their first set on a resounding note, their most popular song: "Thanks to You". Yang cheered as she grabbed Jaune's hand.

They locked eyes and Yang pressed up close to him. At the same time, he stepped closer to her, his mouth right over her ear.

"Hey, thanks for bringing me!" Jaune yelled.

"Thanks for the movie!" Yang yelled back.

"I like this song so much! I love it!"

"I love y-it too!" Yang tried to ignore that slip up.

"Thank you everyone!" Ryan spoke to the crowd, "'Thanks to you' was always my favorite song. And it really encapsulates what I always say. We gotta be thankful. We should be happy with what we got, because what we got isn't all bad, it's usually great!"

The crowd cheered again, "And let me tell you. I'm grateful and thankful for my friend, fellow musician, singer, and the organizer of what we have here today. She's a strange girl, but a fun one. Let's all be thankful for Weiss Schnee!"

Everyone went wild. Weiss Schnee? The heiress-turned-famous-singer-turned-huntress? Here? Singing with The Achieve Men? It was a miracle! Everyone was screaming at the top of their lungs, all except two.

Jaune and Yang gaped at first. Yang recovered first and immediately scowled.

As Weiss stepped onto the stage and took a microphone, she smiled at the crowd, "Good evening, everyone! It's actually a long story as to why I brought this event together, but I'll keep it short. I came up with this concert because one of my teammates is a big fan of Achieve Men."

" _The_ Achieve Men. The 'the' is part of it," Ryan added.

"The Achieve Men then. She's probably here somewhere, but I can't make her out. I'm also thankful for my other friend, who really needs to answer his scroll some time. I know you're tired, but come on. Either way, thanks you two!" the crowd clapped and whistled, "Now then, I believe I owe you all a song?"

"Whoo!"

"Yeah!"

"Sing sing!"

Weiss smiled and curtsied, "How about M-m-m-mirror? It's my personal favorite."

Ryan smirked, "You betcha. How 'bout it everyone?!" he was met with raucous cheers.

As the two sang a heart wrenching duet about two loved ones trapped on opposite sides of a mirror (or mirror universe? It was always hard to tell with the lyrics), Yang couldn't help but growl.

Then Nora ran up to them, breaking her way through the crowd, "Yang! Weiss ran away from us, talked to Goodwitch, and was able to sneak away! I couldn't find her— oh hey M-m-m-mirror! I love this song!" her head and body swayed with the beat.

Yang sighed and turned to Jaune, who was nodding to the song, despite himself. He looked to Yang and held out a hand, "Come on, let's not let Weiss win. Wanna dance, as friends?"

She raised an eyebrow, "You dance?"

"Seven sisters," he smiled, "Or are you nervous?"

"Hah!" Yang barked out, "No way! I may not be good at dancing, but I'm not nervous," she took his hand. And they danced to the duet.

* * *

Later that night, Yang slammed her hands down on Weiss' desk, which was filled to the brim with financial documents. To save money, she decided to do the accounting herself.

"What the hell was that?"

Weiss looked up from the revenue table she was adding up, "The culmination of several business deals, all in an attempt to prevent my own father disowning me and giving the SDC to my brother, all thanks to you."

Jaune stood at the doorway, but asked, "Really? Yang's influence really caused all that?"

Weiss nodded, "Yes. My father takes the word of General Ironwood with caution, and whatever Yang did, it seriously damaged my position politically. Of course, that was her intention all along, to destabilize me while she did something with you," she rolled her eyes, "If you wanted to date Jaune without me interfering, you could have just asked."

"I am not dating him," Yang huffed.

"Sure you weren't. Listen, I've got to finish this and hope I turn a good profit. If I do, my impeccable business sense will make father think twice and consider his options," Weiss chewed the tip of her pencil, "Oh! Also I got you something."

She gestured to the bag to the side of the desk. Yang reached for it and pulled out a The Achieve Men t-shirt. Signed by all members of the band with her name on it?!

"Weiss!? You— what—I don't."

"Don't worry about it, I got these shirts cheap from a manufacturer I met through Ruby."

"No, I mean…" Yang didn't know what to say.

"Like I said, don't worry about it. Luckily The Achieve Men owed me a favor for writing M-m-m-mirror and Thanks to You."

"You! Wrote?!"

"They're about my sister, actually, but I had the lyrics changed to be more romantic," Weiss glared at Yang, "She must never know."

Yang was still gaping as Ruby exited the bathroom, "Yang, you know I love ya, but even I wouldn't write a love song for you," she giggled, "Man I can't wait to meet Winter."

" _Never_ ," Weiss glared at Ruby, only to show a puppy dog eyes, "Please? As fellow younger sisters?"

"I dunno, you _are_ a middle child," Ruby smirked. She relented as Weiss' expression became even more desperate, "Fine, fine. You owe me like, a bunch of gravity dust though."

Weiss sighed in relief.

Yang shook her head, then walked to Jaune at the doorway, "Well, good night. It was a fun day."

"Yeah," Jaune said, "Want to do it again?" his smile was so bright and—

She smiled, "Yeah, definitely."

Damn it Weiss.

* * *

Yang was largely silent the rest of the night, and into the next day, her mind too busy thinking of… things.

"Professor Goodwitch?" Yang asked as the entire class packed up and got ready to leave for lunch. Yang bit her lip and pawed at her bicep.

"Yes Miss Xiao Long?" Glynda Goodwitch asked as she put her papers into her bag.

"I've got something important I want to talk about. Something, well, about you-know-what."

"Ah," Goodwitch nodded, "Would you like to talk to the headmaster about it?"

"No it's… well, something about Weiss and stuff."

"Well then, come by my office in half an hour. Get something to eat beforehand."

"Okay," Yang said shyly.

Glynda raised an eyebrow at that, but decided to wait.

* * *

"Have a seat, Yang," Glynda said as she passed the younger blonde some hot tea, "Please tell me it's something new, not involving throwing Jaune out a window, or about Weiss taking over Remnant, because I've assured you, there is no such threat," Glynda had made sure of it.

Yang relaxed slightly as she took a sip. Then her gaze hardened and she looked at Glynda, "You don't know that. She already has business deals in the criminal underworld, and the fact of the matter is, except for Velvet and Coco, Weiss has wormed her way through most of the potential maiden candidates."

"Who are unneeded, since Autumn is fine," Glynda pointed out.

"Yes, you saved her," Yang whispered, "But she's still being threatened by an unknown player."

"And we're dealing with it. Listen Yang, you're still young, and only waist deep in all of this," Glynda waved her hand.

"Ozluminati," Yang supplied.

"No. For the last time, we are not naming ourselves that," Glynda sighed, "I know you're not here just because of Weiss. Tell me, what's actually on your mind?"

Yang squirmed in her seat for a minute. Glynda just sipped her tea. Eventually, Yang said, "I think I'm in love."

"Well, it happens," Glynda blinked, "It happens to everyone, that is. Who is it and why are you so ruffled?" she took another drink.

"Jaune," she squeaked.

To her credit, Glynda did not spit her tea in Yang's face. She did spill her tea all over her clothes, however.

Yang reached for napkins, but Glynda waved her hand away, "It's fine."

The tea in her clothes suddenly moved into the air, tiny globules of pale liquid floating out of her clothes, leaving it dry. The tea drops flew into the nearby sink in the adjacent bathroom.

"Wow, that is incredibly convenient."

"It is indeed," Glynda smirked, "Back on topic. What's the problem? You should give it a try."

Of all the girls Glynda could have as an in-law, Yang was nowhere near the worst. Not that she would be thinking that far ahead, but with how the current timeline was going, it could happen.

Yang sighed, "But, all this, and… Blake."

Glynda put hand on Yang's knee, "She's a strong girl. It's been weeks, and I'm sure that, in time, she'll be ready to move on. She wouldn't want you to sacrifice your happiness for her. Furthermore, our… group, is always looking for more exceptional and heroic huntsmen to join our fold."

That word. Heroic. It made Yang's gut twist. Glynda saw that and added, "You joined our order because it was the same one your mother was a part of. Both of them. Summer was a hero to the very end."

Yang mumbled, "So why did she leave us? Why did she have to die?"

Glynda bit her lip, "It was my fault."

Yang looked up at her teacher, "What?"

"My semblance can do many things. Its versatility is unprecedented, because despite only being one ability, it can do wondrous things," Glynda paused, then added, "Your birth mother, she can create portals to those she's bonded with."

"Yeah, I know," Yang grumbled.

"I can create portals too, but not just to people I care for, but to anywhere, without limit. I could have saved Summer, all those years ago. But that day, I was hungover from a party."

A party with General Ironwood of all people. It was a sour end to what could have been something…

"Y-you couldn't have known," Yang trembled.

"No, I-I was supposed to protect her. It was my job, my job specifically, but by the time I realized, it was too late. All it would have taken was a little bit of concentration, and in a snap, I would have been there. But I couldn't concentrate. Not then."

Glynda shook her head, "What I'm trying to say is, Summer was a hero, through to the very end. She saved so many lives, and wanted to protect everyone, no matter what. Her only fault was she didn't have support when she needed it. She didn't abandon you, I abandoned her."

Yang stared at the empty wall for for a few minutes. Eventually, she got up and sighed, "Thanks for the advice. I'll think on it."

She left and the door closed.

Glynda sighed, "An Arc never goes back on her word. But I did. I promised to save everyone. I'll never be an Arc again, and that's my punishment."

She took another sip of her tea.

* * *

Yang slumped against the wall outside in the hallway and sighed.

Could she be a hero? She was seventeen but she's seen too much and done too many unsavory things to protect the maidens and relics. And it was only going to get worse. She knew Uncle Qrow was doing the worst stuff for her.

It made everything seem petty. Hell, it made everything she did to Weiss seem petty.

And then there was Jaune. Could she come to love him? She said she did, but it was probably more like a crush than anything else. Her mom loved her dad, even if things ended up like it was. Her dad was never deep into it like mom and Uncle Qrow were.

Maybe Jaune could be like that? Yang shook her head. She was getting ahead of herself. She wasn't even sure she loved him. It was probably just infatuation.

Probably. She needed to talk to him and confirm it.

* * *

"Wait… You _knew_ I would date Yang?! Without your help?" the two of them were in an empty classroom after Weiss dragged him in to talk.

"Hey I got you that dance, remember that," Weiss griped, "But yes, I did. For you Schnee!" she pulled out a cork board with red string. Jaune raised his hand.

"What?"

"Why did you randomly replace 'see' with your last name?"

Weiss tapped her foot, "If Yang can do it, so can I. Anyways, Yang is the first disk boss. You had been preparing for this route the entire time. It was just as I anticipated."

"How?"

"Think about the three women you've dated before Yang. First was Pyrrha, someone who was against the idea of starting a romantic relationship. Then there was Blake, a woman with many secrets and a chip on her shoulder. And third was Ruby, Yang's own sister, bare knuckle fighter and clueless about romance. Yang was right that I was strategically choosing the women you dated, but she was wrong with the reasons," Weiss explained.

"You told me it was because of the difficulty levels. That Pyrrha and Ruby were more likely to date me," Jaune said.

"While true, as luck would have it, they also prepared you for another target. Your true target, assuming you kept going with my game of course, you could have left anytime you wanted. Yet you still came back each time."

Jaune frowned. Weiss continued, "No, the true goal was Yang herself!" Weiss grinned at the perplexed look on Jaune's face.

"Think on it. I told you that Yang was overprotective of her sister, correct?"

He nodded.

"And we have established that Yang is more perceptive than she looks. I've also told you that it was obvious that Ruby was secretly an underground fighter, correct?"

Jaune nodded again. Then the realization struck, "Wait a minute…"

"Exactly. It was obvious then, that Yang must have known of Ruby's extracurricular activities. The question becomes: why was she not interfering?" Weiss stroked her chin, "Think on it some more.

"There have been threads of something deeper, lying in wait around us. That White Fang rally, where Professor Goodwitch appeared at just the right moment. Yang getting off free after throwing you out the window, despite the fact that Goodwitch clearly has a soft spot for you—"

"She what?"

"Nothing important for now, it'll probably come up later. Back on track, Yang and Goodwitch have a deeper connection than we know. Yang and her uncle, the one Ruby described as 'really awesome super cool drunkle', have a connection to the General of the Atlesian military. Not only that, but Yang called in a favor to him. Clearly, the truth is revealed."

"What truth?" Jaune whispered.

"That Yang Xiao Long's title of 'Empress of Grand Strategy' is merely a smokescreen for her role in a shadowy conspiracy across Remnant!" Weiss turned and pointed at a shadowy corner of the room.

Nothing came out from the shadow. Weiss frowned. Jaune frowned too. Then they turned towards the door as it creaked open, revealing Yang.

"I _knew_ you were a threat. I fu—"

"Oh shut it, Yang," Weiss snapped, "I don't care about your secret cabal to take over the world or whatever."

Yang paused, "You don't?"

"No! I am not going down this insane rabbit hole. I just want to play games, hunt Grimm, and take over the SDC. No way am I tacking on a fourth thing," Weiss rolled her eyes, "When we found Blake after she ran away, I told her I didn't care about her time in the White Fang. Same applies to you."

Yang and Jaune frowned.

Weiss waved her hands in the air, "I already have enough influence! I don't need to rule the world, or become richer, or do evil things or whatever it is you think I'm doing! I'm just playing a game with my buddy Jaune here," she stuck a thumb at him.

"I'm just here to teach this blonde idiot how to date women, and considering how he's got you smitten with him, I dare say I am a great teacher. Done! Capiche! Just leave me alone, alright?" Weiss' scroll rang. She looked at her messages and smirked, "Now if you please excuse me, I have a figurine to buy."

The heiress began walking out of the room when Yang muttered, "Damnit, Goodwitch was right."

"Lalala I can't hear you! Here's me living in ignorant bliss!" Weiss plugged her ears and left.

Jaune and Yang were now alone.

He scratched the back of his neck and gave a nervous chuckle, while Yang pinched her right arm.

Eventually, Yang spoke up first, "I like you. I'm not sure what it is, I've never dated seriously before, like, really seriously. Just hanging out with guys and stuff. The thing is, Weiss is right, I am deep inside something shady, and I don't think we can date unless…"

"Unless I join in too, but you don't want me to, because if I do, I can never leave," Jaune said, "Here's the thing, I don't know either. I have literally dated three girls and none of my relationships have lasted long. So… I know you're in something, and that makes things easier. You don't have to lie to me unless I pry for answers. Can we… try things out? See if we end up serious, and if it does, you can tell me and I'll join you?"

Yang smiled, "You don't have to join, just be supportive, like my dad."

"Well if we get serious, I'd want to join, if you'll have me in your group," Jaune smiled back.

"That sounds good. I think I like that," she drew him in for a hug.

Jaune wrapped his arms around her. Then he asked, "Are you a secret villain though? Because I feel like I should get a general sense of things first."

She laughed, "No, no. It's the opposite. I fight villains as my shadowy occupation."

"And protect the weak and innocent?"

Yang laughed, "Yep, when we can."

Jaune grinned, "So you're a hero."

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

* * *

Blake was in her little nook in the library reading a new _Ninjas of Love_ , when Weiss sat down in the bean bag next to her.

A few minutes passed, with Weiss idly staring at her scroll before she spoke, "I want to say I'm sorry."

"Okay," Blake blandly said while flipping a page.

"Wow. Um, do you know why I'm saying sorry?" Weiss leaned forward.

"Yeah."

"Oh. Do you forgive me?"

Blake placed her bookmark in her book and closed it, "Weiss, I'm fine. Jaune and I broke up. We just didn't work out. He didn't betray my trust, I didn't break his heart. It's awkward and we don't like each other right now, but in time, we'll probably be okay. I mean, he's dated Ruby and is probably making out with Yang right now."

"You know about that?" Weiss scratched her arm.

"You held a concert with Yang's favorite band. She has a t-shirt with all of their autographs that you gave her. I'm offended you didn't think I knew."

"You haven't really hung around the dorm in a while."

"Fifty percent avoiding Jaune, fifty percent hanging out with Sun."

"Hmmm…"

"Weiss, no."

"Weiss, yes," the heiress blinked, "You want some help getting a date?"

"... I'm going to read now."

"Then I'll see you at dinner."

Blake nodded, "Save me some fish."

Weiss sighed in relief.

* * *

Yang and Jaune were totes making out in that empty classroom, by the way.

**ROUTE COMPLETE**

**Dragonslayer End Achieved**

**Continue? [Yes/No]**

**Are you sure?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bacon-wrapped steaks are actually pretty good, but it's one of those things you should eat sparingly, both to preserve your health and the novelty. On a related note, I think people eat food in this fic way too much. Sadly, meals are the only time in the day where all eight members of RWBY and JNPR are together without doing something detrimental to conversation like class. Point is I've noticed this and later chapters I'm going to try to avoid it. Except for that one girl darnit.


	7. Even Valkyries Fall in Love! Shatter Walls of Friendship With Your Hammer, Nora-chan! A Shield-Maiden is Just Another Name, You Know! Fight, Fight!

Chapter Six: Even Valkyries Fall in Love! Shatter Walls of Friendship With Your Hammer, Nora-chan! A Shield-Maiden is Just Another Name, You Know! Fight, Fight!

* * *

"Do you even know your great-great-grandfather?"

"Um… he fought in the war?"

"List his victories and his domains or I walk."

* * *

"Jaune, it's not you... it's the steady decline on your family's standing over the last few decades."

* * *

"Raise your family's political standing, _then_ we'll talk."

* * *

"Do you even _own_ land?"

* * *

"You don't even control a kingdom! You're not even a prince! _You don't even have any claims!_ "

* * *

"Can you even ensure our child will inherit our Attractive trait? Or can you _magically_ make them be born with the Genius trait?"

* * *

"If you want this relationship to work, go conquer some minor principalities."

"Yang what."

"... This isn't gonna work out."

* * *

"And that's why we broke up," Yang said.

Jaune nodded, "I can almost keep up with Weiss' dating sim stuff, but Yang is just on a different plane of reality."

"See? That metaphor wasn't even a reference to anything," Yang pointed out.

"I think it was."

"Oh really? From where? The genre, publishing date, what are they?" Yang crossed her arms.

Jaune groaned, "See what I've had to put up with?"

And thus, the two blondes explained to their friends why they broke up during a study session.

"You know, I've lived with Yang my entire life, I feel like I should have seen this coming," Ruby rubbed her chin, "Yeah it was really obvious in hindsight. Oh well, who're you dating next?"

"This time I'm serious, no more dating, at least for now," Jaune declared. He turned to Weiss, "You hear that? No more dating for me!"

Weiss rolled her eyes and put away her scroll, "Very well. We've got something else to do anyways."

Jaune paused, "We do?"

Nora jumped out of her seat, "It's time!"

"We're going to prep Nora in the world of romance," Weiss proudly declared.

Their table was silent for a minute, until Pyrrha coughed.

"What were we studying again?" Ruby asked.

Yang said, "Something about… dust thermodynamics," she looked at the papers below her, "And the metaphysical reactions thereof."

"Oh come on guys!" Nora grumbled.

"It's fine, they just don't see it," Weiss patted her shoulder.

"I believe we were on question seventeen," Pyrrha continued, "Given a fire dust crystal of 92% purity," Weiss snorted at the low percentage given, "With a total volume of 120 cubic centimeters and a surface area of 146 square centimeters, estimate the resulting temperature and how long it lasts, assuming a single ignition burst."

"Which formula is this again?" Jaune asked.

"The fourth one," Weiss said as she leaned back in her chair and waited for her friends to catch up.

"You already know the answer don't you?" Ruby poked her partner with her pencil.

"I'd need to check my math to be certain," Weiss said.

"Whoop-de-doo," Ruby blandly remarked.

"Hey guys," Sun walked in on Teams RWBY and JNPR, along with someone they didn't recognize, "What're you doing?"

"Dust mechanics," Blake said as she tapped her paper, "Who's he?"

Sun smiled, "Jaune, Blake, Weiss, everyone else, this is my partner, Neptune."

"S'up," the blue-haired dude grinned, "Couldn't help but overhear your mechanics problem. Is the answer 210 degrees and for forty-one seconds?"

"That's the answer I have," Weiss said.

"Don't be a nerd," Sun elbowed him.

"I prefer the term intellectual," Neptune jabbed back. His eyes spotted Weiss and he walked up to her. With a suave gesture, he said, "I don't think I caught your name, Snow Angel."

Weiss blinked. Then she started laughing uncontrollably, clutching her sides as she fell to the floor.

Neptune visibly deflated as Sun put his hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Don't worry, she's cuckoo."

"Hahaha! Bwahaha!" Weiss crawled back into her seat, "He's like Jaune but with funnier hair!"

"Hey!" Jaune crossed his arms, "I was not that bad."

"You totally were," Ruby said.

"Um why'd she start laughing at me? Usually my charm works," Neptune awkwardly scratched his back.

"Hehe," Weiss grinned and snorted, "You've been coasting on your naturally high charisma stat, allowing you to enter any conversation and do well, despite being a terrible conversationalist. Unfortunately, once you encounter someone with a high enough experience, level, resistance, or their own natural charisma, your one advantage is canceled out."

"I don't… what?" Neptune frowned deeply.

Jaune sighed and translated, "Weiss said you're hot, but she doesn't care."

"That sound about right," Sun said as Neptune smacked him.

* * *

Later that day, Team RWBY noticed several more transfer students arriving for the Vytal Festival.

"Ohmygosh Penny!" Ruby jumped and landed on her robot buddy, drawing her into a big hug. Penny hugged back and squeezed Ruby's entire waist, "Ack! Too much!"

"It is nice to see you again, Friend Ruby," Penny smiled as she let go of Ruby, "This is my partner, Ciel."

The young woman in a blue beret impassively stared at Ruby and blinked, "Ruby Rose, age fifteen. I'm Ciel Soleil, age seventeen. Pleasure to meet you," she turned to Penny, "We should be going. We're already off schedule."

Penny stage whispered, "Her semblance has an effect on her personality."

"I can hear you quite well, ma'am. Let's go," Ciel grabbed Penny by the arm and marched them away.

Ruby waved at Penny, who waved back. Weiss coughed, "I see Penny has a very complementary partner."

"Maybe it's a rule that all partners have to be opposites," Ruby mused.

Yang grabbed Blake by the shoulder, "I wonder what're our opposite traits then," the blonde grinned.

Blake sighed, "Oh hey look, there's some other people to talk to," she said blandly as she wound away from Yang's arm.

"It would be prudent to scope out the competition beforehand," Weiss said as Yang snorted.

"Doing that so late? I've already got all the juicy bits on my scroll," Yang pointed at the four women nearby, "Team NDGO from Shade, uses dust and pointy things mostly."

"Please, while the use of employees to gather intelligence is important, I believe that some things you have to do yourself," Weiss said, "The purple-haired one is the leader, if not officially, then the one that the others have the most respect for. She is right handed and fights both close combat and ranged, although she prefers the latter."

"Her name's Nebula, and she uses a crossbow-sword, with middling proficiency in each," Yang recalled.

"And she has a crush on… her redhead teammate."

"No duh Captain Obvious," Yang shook her head, "What do you know about that team over there?" she gestured to another team, this time from Haven.

"The short black-haired girl is sleep-deprived, the gray-haired guy is probably smug about something, the green-haired girl likes the tall black-haired girl, but in a puppy sort of way. The tall girl looks older than a second year should be."

"Intel says she started schooling a couple years late, grew up outside the kingdoms like Blake."

"Is she a princess too?"

"Nope, normal girl through and through," Yang shook her head, "Was there a point to this?"

"Does there have to be?" Weiss smiled, "I shouldn't be the one telling you to lighten up," by this point, Ruby and Blake had wandered away from the two.

"You're a prim and proper princess—"

"Heiress."

"A prim and proper _heiress_ when you want to be, but when you're alone or with your friends, you've got a real deviant side, as Ruby says," Yang sighed, "But I live with Ruby, and I want to keep up the happy and boisterous side of mine when she's around. That way she can grow up without a care in the world."

"Hmph, and people say I had a spoiled upbringing," Weiss smirked, "So this is it then? Your darker, more serious side is shown to me and Jaune alone. It's a difficult way to live."

Yang shrugged, "It's better than nothing. Besides, I can at least talk to you about RQ2."

"Nope," Weiss said, "That game sucks."

"Have you tried Solita Empiritas IV?"

"It's unbearably boring."

"What about Solaria?"

"The civilization designer is the best part of the game."

"Souls of Steel?"

"I expected giant robots. Instead I got Micromanagement: The Game. I was sorely disappointed."

"It takes place during the Great War!"

"Didn't even argue the micromanagement part. Also, I don't see you trying any dating sims."

"Fine, do you have any recommendations?"

Weiss smiled serenely, "Yes. Yes I do."

* * *

The next day, as Weiss was walking down the hallway, brainstorming plans for Nora, she was accosted.

"Hey Snow Angel," Neptune said as he clicked his tongue and pointed finger guns at her, as he leaned back on the wall.

"I see your repertoire is as surface level and bland as expected," Weiss said as she walked past him.

"Come on, just because you don't like my style of asking someone out doesn't mean you won't like me," Neptune complained as he followed right behind her, "Can't you give it a try?"

"I see you fail to understand basic marketing," Weiss said, "If you want to sell a product to someone that doesn't need it, you have to give them a reason to want it, or, even better, a reason to believe they need it."

"Well, I want to be truthful and not like, trick you or anything."

Weiss sighed, "I am very busy, so if you can't at least explain why it's not a waste of time, I'm out. I'll give you thirty seconds."

"You'll probably have fun and… uh, you'll have dating experience?"

"Hah! A fool learns from their own mistakes, a wise man learns from the mistakes of others," Weiss walked away.

"So what, you're just going to learn from that thing Sun says you do with Jaune, and then suddenly you'll get it right the very first time you decide to have a real romance?"

She stopped, "Perhaps I will. Whatever the case, it's none of your business."

"I'm a friend of a friend, which is almost a friend, and friends give each other advice when they need it."

"Hmph," Weiss said as she kept walking, "Then I suppose, as a friend of a friend, I'll mentor you with your courting problem."

"You will? Thanks, I guess."

"No problem. You're not my first protege," her back faced Neptune. As she walked down the hall, Weiss' grin spread wider and wider. An idea was forming, and it was glorious.

* * *

"So here's the plan," Weiss said to Jaune and Nora, "You've told me you wanted to date Ren, correct?"

Nora vigorously nodded, "We've always been together, but not together-together, and I want to be together-together with him," she pumped her fist to her chest.

Weiss nodded, "Six of us will be attending. I've decided on six since it's a fairly large group, too large to naturally facilitate a romance. That's the trick to lure everyone else into lowering their guard. We will split into three teams of two for our outing. To allay suspicion, Nora will paired with my newest disciple, Neptune."

Jaune raised his hand, "Shouldn't I be paired with him so I can translate between your elegant words and the language of us common folk?"

Nora snickered as Weiss glared at him, "No, you will be with Ren. As such you will be partnered with him, and you will be subtly pushing him towards thinking of Nora in another light, while also preventing yourself from being seen as a rival."

"And that leaves you with Sun," Jaune said.

"He is a wild card, a wingman in his own right. Not even close to a player, but he can definitely influence the event in ways that I can't always anticipate, thus I should keep a close eye on him, just in case. Our primary objective is getting Nora and Ren together, with teaching Neptune as a good secondary goal. Understood?"

Both Nora and Jaune nodded.

* * *

"Jaune, you trust me, correct?" Ren said as the two sat alone.

"Of course I do, Ren, you're like the brother I never had," Jaune replied, patting his teammate on the back.

"Good, because I have something very important I want to tell you."

"Go ahead."

"I don't want to date Nora."

"... Wow. That's um, why?"

Ren sighed and leaned back, "She's my best friend, and I love her, but I just don't see her that way."

"Oh. Wow. Yeah, I can see what you mean," Jaune scratched his head, "I'm surprised you figured that out without giving it a try."

"Not everyone has to make out with someone to decide whether they love them romantically Jaune," Ren sighed, "When you live with someone for almost a decade, you get a feeling of the status quo. From there, I can observe others and see their interactions and imagine them for myself. Jaune, your past relationships have taught me more than I could have over the three years. I've decided I don't want a romantic relationship with Nora, I'm content with what we have now."

"But Nora isn't," Jaune reminded.

"Yes, but… I don't have the heart to tell her. Not only that but, I've begun to realize that I've grown to like someone else."

"Someone else… romantically?" Jaune probed.

Ren furrowed his brow, "Yes."

"Oh. Is it someone I know?"

"Weiss. It's Weiss."

"... I'm sorry I could have sworn you said 'Weiss'," Jaune blinked.

"You didn't hear me incorrectly. I said I wish to court Weiss Schnee."

"Okay. You _have_ been hanging around her when she's not being a prim and proper prin-heiress, right?" Jaune winced as he almost said 'princess'. Weiss had slapped him enough times for that, "You do know she's probably insane, right?"

"I find it endearing."

"And extremely reckless?"

"She's courageous, and there's a method to her madness, if one looks deep enough."

"That is literally the entire reason we're friends, I think," Jaune massaged his temples, "She plays too many video games."

"I admire her passion."

"She has no regard for common decency except when it suits her."

"She's a fiercely independent woman."

"She's a picky eater."

"She has a refined palate."

"She prefers waffles to pancakes."

"... I have several waffle recipes I've wanted to try."

"You do realize that she's basically just Nora but more elegant?"

"They say men prefer women similar to their mothers."

"Nora isn't your mother."

"I remember Nora more clearly than my mother, I'm afraid."

"Damnit. You win," Jaune sighed, "But Weiss is planning to ship you and Nora together at the bowling alley and I'm helping."

"And I'm asking you to… not do that. Please, can you help me," Ren gave him a light smile, "My brother from another mother?"

Jaune frowned, "You want me to help you get with Weiss instead of Nora. You want me to trick Weiss Schnee, the self proclaimed Goddess of Dating Sims, who need I remind you, got Yang to date me after she threw me out a window?"

Ren shrugged, "Perhaps she has a strong offense, but we've never tested her defense. After all, if one plays dating simulators all the time, surely they can't have much actual experience?"

"I hate your logic," Jaune mumbled, "Fine. Let's do this. Anything for my bro from another mo."

Ren was silent.

"Brom from another mom?"

Ren sighed.

* * *

"So Weiss invited us out bowling," Sun said.

"Really!?" Neptune leapt up.

"Yeah, and I plan to do a little wingmanning, and get you and Weiss together," Sun said.

"That's actually really really cool of you."

"No biggie, what're best bros for?" Sun grinned.

* * *

Weiss stared at the cork board and red strings she had put up, grinning wildly as Ruby read a comic book, "I don't like the look on your face."

"Heh heh this will be it, my greatest triumph!" Weiss giggled, ignoring Ruby completely.

"You're too excited for getting Nora a boyfriend," Ruby said, "What gives?"

"Oh naïve, simple, innocent Ruby. While yes, I am doing some matchmaking, I am also planning out the greatest scheme a Schnee has ever put to paper!"

Ruby didn't look up from her comic, "That's great. Are you going to return my cork board any time soon?"

"It's brilliant! Elegant in design, using only one flag, killing several Nevermore with one stone!" Weiss pointed at the first red string connection, "With all of us together, I will put myself on a team with Sun, bringing us two would-be matchmakers out of the equation while preventing Neptune from disturbing me. At the same time, I will steer Nora into dating Neptune instead of Ren by putting them on the same team."

"Uh huh."

"Then I will place Ren and Jaune on the same team, allowing me to manipulate the two's plan to do something or other," she waved her hand, "I'm not sure. Either way, with Neptune and Nora together and Sun and I matchmaking, that only leaves one other potential pairing: Jaune x Ren!" Weiss squeed as she hopped up and down.

"Uh huh," Ruby flipped a page, "You do know Jaune's straight right?"

"Oh he's going to bend. He's going to be a twisty twirl that wraps itself up into a neat, gay little bow."

"I don't think that's how that works."

"It worked for me!" Weiss put her hand on her chest and stared at her figurine cabinet, "I too used to only care for husbandos, but once I saw Yuki-chan, I realized the truth! For moe transcends all gender!"

"I think you're just bi," Ruby said as she kept reading, "Or just super weird. Probably both."

"Perhaps, but I've always had a feeling about the possibilities of those two, they both potentially fit into just the right archetypes," Weiss said, "Ren has several physical characteristics of a femboy, and if he actually tried he'd probably be cuter than…" Weiss twisted her lip, "I'd say Pyrrha."

"So Ren's a bit androgynous. So what?"

"There are two paths for a shounen ai relationship. The saying 'everyone has one exception', as a mere gateway. The most common path is a very effeminate man who dresses, looks, and maybe even acts like a woman. When that occurs, the sheer amount of moe is enough for even the straightest of men to bend."

"Okay, you're going to give Ren a makeover."

"Nah I'm going the other route. They're going to bishounen themselves up so much they'll fall for each other's pretty manliness!" Weiss rubbed her hands together, "And I only have to work on Ren, since he's already probably leaning towards being gay for Jaune."

"Wait what?"

"He clearly doesn't want to date Nora, whether out of a feeling of familial bond, or some other reason. However, he has not looked at any other woman since we've arrived at Beacon, and come on, have you _seen_ this school's girls? The average woman is an eight around here."

"Maybe he's chivalrous. Or not looking for a relationship right now. Or any number of reasons actually."

"No shame in trying," Weiss grinned, "And besides, with Jaune and Neptune as senpai-kouhai, they might make a decent backup pairing too," she giggled as she molded her blooming plan. Blooming like the spring flowers in an all boys' school as love flourishes like a flower.

The door opened, and Blake crept into the room, "Did I hear what I think I heard?"

"Yes," Weiss said.

"Do you have ship names yet? Because I already have some in mind," Blake stepped closer and peered at Weiss' documents.

Weiss rolled her eyes, "I've pegged you as a yaoi shipper ever since you stocked your bookshelf with copies of Hoshi to Juujika no Gakkou and Chokoreito to Shounen. You have good taste, I'll admit, but have some decency, woman."

Ruby rolled her eyes, "Pot meet kettle, Weiss. Every time I look at your scroll now I only see naked men and women."

Weiss snorted, "Prude."

"Sorry Ruby, but I have to agree with Weiss," Blake said apologetically.

"So Blake, how would you like to help me ship Jaune and Blake together?" Weiss gave a conspiratorial grin.

Blake shook her head, "Sorry, I'm on Team Neptune for this. The senpai-kouhai relationship needs more notice."

"I guess we'll agree to disagree then," Weiss said, "Do you want to come with?"

"No, I think I'll stay at Beacon. Yang hasn't left the library all day."

Weiss rubbed her hands together, "Soon."

Ruby sighed and went back to reading.

* * *

The day arrived, and the six of them: Weiss, Jaune, Nora, Ren, Sun, and Neptune, all rode on the Bullhead to Vale.

It was simple and the atmosphere of the group was easy enough, Nora talked to Ren and Sun, while Neptune and Jaune talked to each other, as Weiss added in her own thoughts.

"Jaune is the senpai archetype for today's event, with Neptune the eager kouhai," Weiss said, "I'll be expecting Jaune to help you out when he can, while you listen to Jaune's word, understand? He's more expert than you are."

"How so?" Neptune asked.

"Pyrrha, Blake, Ruby, Yang," Jaune listed off and sighed.

"Wait you've dated Pyrrha Nikos?!"

"She's my partner, and Weiss thought it was a good idea. Didn't work out, we're still friends," Jaune recounted. It was at least the fifth or sixth time he'd explained this to someone.

"Still," Neptune shook his head, "Okay what are we doing?"

" _You_ are making small talk with Nora. She's a fellow disciple of mine, and we're going to get you two acquainted," Weiss waved at Nora, who walked up to them.

"Nora, your first step today is to make conversation with Neptune here," Weiss said.

"Why? I can talk to Ren just fine," Nora shrugged.

"Perhaps, but what is it the two of you talk about?" Weiss said. Nora stayed silent, "Exactly. You two talk about nothing, as in nothing in particular. That's fine as friends or in years-old romances, but a new relationship needs interest and thought provoking to advance and flourish."

"And passion?" Nora blinked.

"Well you've known each other for so long that your passion has probably lowered to a simmer and needs reinvigoration. We could go the 'Nora is sexier than I recall' route, but looks fade, personality doesn't. We need to get Ren interested in you as a romantic partner," the heiress turned to Neptune, "And that's why we have Neptune here. You two will talk until you have interesting things to say and do. Hobbies and stuff."

Both Nora and Neptune looked at each other awkwardly as Weiss dragged Jaune to Ren, who was talking to Sun about shirts.

"Jaune, you know what to do. Sun, with me."

As Jaune and Ren shrugged at each other, Sun and Weiss approached a lonely corner of the Bullhead. Sun spoke up, "I know that you know that I'm trying to set you up with Neptune."

"Of course. It's common courtesy to detail plans, as is the rule of wingmen," Weiss smiled, "I'll let you know that I intend to ship Neptune and Nora together, kill two Nevermore with one stone."

Sun shrugged, "I won't stop you. Neptune ending up with anyone is good, and Nora's cool."

"But you won't help me?"

"Well, I'm helping my bro get with you, so no, sorry," Sun smiled, "Will a glowing recommendation from me change your mind?"

"No. But it is considered."

He shrugged, "Can't say I didn't try."

* * *

After landing, they arrived at a nearby bowling alley in the shopping district. It was large, with a dozen lanes available. It wasn't a particularly busy day for the venue, and they were able to get their shoes, balls, and reserved lane.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the group, Weiss also rented out the two lanes next to theirs out, leaving them empty and all six of them together in one.

"Let me guess, your average score is 300," Jaune sauntered up as he carried his blue bowling ball.

"Two-hundred-ten, actually," Weiss said, "There's a private bowling alley back home. You ever play?"

Jaune shook his head, "There wasn't a bowling alley in my hometown, but I did play a bowling computer game with my sisters."

"A game isn't always a good substitute for real life. The physics for real bowling are much more nuanced and disparate than a computer recreation," Weiss said, "The invisible oil patterns in a lane makes each experience different, for one."

"So you had a dozen lanes in your manor?"

"Six," Weiss corrected.

"Is there anything you haven't done yet?" Sun asked as he polished the ball he received.

"Oh! I bet Weiss has never panhandled for money before!" Nora grinned as she held up her bright pink ball.

"That I have not. It might come in handy one day, who knows."

"Ooh then I'll have to teach you later. You've gotta throw out the big puppy-dog eyes to get the most Lien."

"Nora, I feel worried," Jaune said.

"Nah it's cool, it was a rough patch for me and Renny when we were kids. It's nice to be able to laugh about this kind of stuff now," Nora grinned, "Now bowl already."

Jaune took his ball and threw it. It bounced, skidded, and rolled into the gutter. His second go got him two pins. He scratched his head as Ren took his turn, scoring a spare.

Then Weiss got a strike, and the game was on.

* * *

Ruby looked at the graphic novels Weiss had mentioned earlier, all on Blake's bookshelf. Ruby's hand reached out.

No! They were filth! Ruby smacked her face. Weiss had a filthy mind underneath that ladylike exterior, so surely most of the stuff she read was filth.

And yet… Weiss was adamant Ruby would like them. Even after very clearly establishing her, to use a phrase Weiss used, prudishness.

Maybe it was light stuff. After all, she didn't start fighting the top boxers in the underground circuit when she began. She built up to it.

Maybe Weiss thought of that and chose for her. Maybe…

No! No way! They were gateway series, seemingly innocent, but will eventually lead her down a dark path as she got into more questionable works. Besides she didn't have time for this. She had school and fighting to do.

Maybe just a peek. It couldn't hurt.

Ruby smacked her errant hand with her other hand and ran out of the room.

* * *

"I don't get the point of teams if you're just going to carry me," Sun said. When Weiss gave him a look he added, "I mean I know your ulterior motive, but from a game standpoint…"

"It will all make sense in due time."

"You didn't know how bowling teams work did you."

"I did say I had a private bowling alley. Come on, let's take a peek at Nora and Neptune's conversation."

They discreetly backed towards the pair and leaned in close.

"And that's why I like Ren! Well, the top six reasons," Nora shrugged, "Why do you like Weiss?"

"She's cute and she has this vibe, you know?" Neptune scratched his head, "Like cold and hot at the same time. Hot in more ways than one. Plus, it's not often I chase a girl. There's something about being hard to get…"

Weiss muttered under her breath, "Great, I've been falling into the tsundere archetype. Just brilliant."

"Yeah I can see that," Nora said, "Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

"Uh… watch any good movies lately?"

"The new Bombshell movie?"

"Didn't see it. How about the one with Spruce Willis?"

"Nope."

And with that, there was an awkward silence. Weiss popped up from behind a plastic seat and smiled, "Well I can see we're off to a bumpy start. Neptune, go talk with Jaune for some conversation pointers. I want to work with Nora specifically."

Neptune awkwardly waved at Nora and walked off.

"As we speak, Jaune is implying to Ren that he should be looking at you like a woman. But of course, before we go further, I feel we should be honest with each other," Weiss sat down and patted on the plastic seat next to her, "It's some girl talk too."

Sun nodded, "Right, I'll go get some nachos or something," he whistled as he walked to the food stand.

"What do you want to talk about?" Nora asked. She glanced at Jaune and Ren before back at Weiss.

"Are you absolutely sure you love Ren romantically?"

* * *

Ren and Jaune looked at Neptune, who simply raised an eyebrow, "So, what tips do you got?"

Jaune rubbed his chin. On the one hand, Neptune was the friend of a friend. On the other, Ren was his friend, his bro from another mo. The choice was obvious, "I actually have tips for courting Weiss specifically," he smiled, "After all, I've spent a lot of time with her, _and_ I've asked her out before, so you can learn from my mistakes."

"Go ahead dude," Neptune said as Ren polished his bowling ball.

"First thing you got to know is that Weiss is a singer. She really appreciates music, so a serenade is must. I never got around to using my guitar before she roped me into the whole dating sim thing," Jaune started, "You heard about that concert she coordinated a while back?" Neptune nodded, "I was there, and she loves special effects: fireworks, laser lights, the whole shebang."

If Jaune could lie his way into the world's most prestigious huntsman academy, he can lie to one blue-haired guy, "Oh! And mirrors. She loves mirrors. She even wrote an entire song about them."

"You mean M-m-m-mirror? I thought that was about far away love," Neptune frowned.

"Nope. Trust me, I've dated all her teammates and I've seen her dorm. Mirrors everywhere. You have to compliment her eyes specifically, because that's what she stares at in them."

"She doesn't seem like a narcissist."

"Oh no, it's not narcissism. Weiss is just weird. She has this fascination with how her eyes look. Stare deeply into them, and you've got her. When I made deep eye contact, she took a whole extra minute to respond."

"That sounds oddly specific."

"And another thing, Weiss is obsessed with dating sims," Jaune rolled his eyes, "So you have to make yourself a suitable," he snapped his fingers trying to remember the word.

"Husbando," Ren supplied as he threw his ball.

"Husbando! You have to be that. It's a—"

"I know what that is," Neptune said, "I'm from Mistral, and as Sun would tell you, I'm kind of a nerd."

"Don't be that," Jaune said, "Weiss is looking for a specific husbando. She wants to rebel against her father," he made a grasping gesture with his hands, "She wants a bad boy. That's why I never got her, I'm a total weenie."

"Bad boy," Neptune nodded. Ren had left to do something else.

"A stereotypical bad boy, from a dating sim, you know, with the long hair in the front, leather jackets, all black, and maybe a mask to generate mystery," Jaune stroked his chin, "Your goggles would probably do."

"Really?!" Neptune felt his eyewear on top of his head, "Thanks man. You're a great help," he gave Jaune a winning smile, "Any general tips?"

Jaune puckered his lips slightly, "Confidence. Girls love confidence. Overwhelming confidence makes up for anything you're lacking. If you look like you belong, if you look like you're doing it right, people will believe you."

"Really?"

Jaune smiled, "Did I ever tell you about the time Weiss pretended to be her own body double at a White Fang rally?"

* * *

"Of course I do!" Nora frowned.

"Are you absolutely sure? Is that truly the feeling you have in your heart of hearts?" Weiss pointed a finger in the general direction of Nora's heart. Which appropriately enough had a heart-shaped cleavage window right above it.

"I have one heart and it beats for Ren," Nora said resolutely.

Weiss stepped to Nora's side, "Let's try and work this through, shall we? I've been putting thought into this. Quite a bit of it, ever since Jaune started dating Yang. And I don't know if you love him in that specific way."

"Oh yeah? What do I have to do to prove it?" Nora pouted and placed her hands on her hips.

"Close your eyes," Nora did so, "Imagine you and Ren, walking on a beach."

"I don't think we've ever gone to the beach together before. Maybe we should," Nora said, "Do you think he'd like that?"

"Maybe," Weiss shrugged. The beach would certainly be an event, but beach episodes were for shows, not dating sims. It either happens entirely in a coastal area, or not at all. A hot spring was still on the table though.

"You can see the sun setting, turning the once blue sky into a tapestry of reds and oranges. The sound of gentle crashing waves become the background, as you feel the smooth sand along your feet. Ren is there, chest bare in swim trunks as he runs up to you. He moves closer to you and holds your hand. He pulls you in to his chest."

Nora began quietly squeeing, "He's so cute and hot and kind."

"He smiles and his face draws closer to yours. His soft, supple lips slowly touches yours," Weiss whispered into Nora's ear. The heiress looked at her, and saw red cheeks.

"Um— I uh, wow. Ren. I don't."

"Shhh, let's just stay here, together."

"Yeah. I'd like that," Nora whispered, eyes still closed.

"Do you want to kiss again?"

"No, I just, I just want to be with you."

"And nothing else?"

"Can't we— can't we just talk and play games together?"

"Of course we can. But if we're in a relationship, we should do more, right?"

"No. No, I don't want things to change. I want things to be just like how they always were, when we were kids."

"Nora, you're my best friend, and the one I want to be with every day. But… I want more than that. I want a family again."

"I can be your family," Nora said.

"You already are. And because of that, I can't love you that way."

"Yeah…" Nora whispered, "I think… I think I feel the same way. We're best friends and that's what I want more than anything! To be together forever!"

"And we will. But we have to grow up."

"Yeah, we do."

"Open your eyes," Weiss said.

Nora blinked open to see Ren in front of her. He gave her a soft smile as she blinked back tears, "Did you mean everything you said?"

"Yeah," Ren replied, "I love you like a sister."

She giggled, "I love you like a brother. The best brother," the two of them drew each other into a hug.

Weiss clapped her hands, "Well, now that we got that out of the way, I must remind you that today's event _is_ about getting Nora a date, and I have some great backups for you."

Nora and Ren laughed into each other through tears.

* * *

"You know, this has actually been pretty tame for an event you've made me go to," Jaune said, "It's not a White Fang rally, underground fight club, or an impromptu concert with a world famous boy band. It's just bowling. I like this change of pace," he said as Nora bowled her very first spare. She and Ren cheered. Jaune cheered too, as Weiss daintily ate her nachos.

One bite at a time.

Slowly.

She didn't like the meat and jalapeños. Why couldn't they sell it with only cheese? Weiss liked cheese. Not… whatever meat substitute was dribbling down into the plastic bowl.

Weiss glanced to see Jaune high-fiving Nora, who then also high-fived Ren, Sun, and Neptune. It really was a sight to see, a novice getting worked up over a spare, when a pro got spares all the time. Hell, spares were considered bad by Weiss when she was aiming for a high score.

She looked down into her plate of nachos and blinked. If she kept going, she'd probably become introspective into her own upbringing, contrasted with the childhoods of her friends. It would potentially be an eye opening experience.

But she was busy. She needed to figure out the route that would result in the best outcome for her friends. She knew her goal, but not the way to the goal.

With her thoughts on Ren sorted out, it was now possible to put an honest effort into getting Nora a date. She and Weiss agreed that trying to see other people in a romantic light would help lighten the burden and dependency on Ren. The two were inseparable, but Nora needed to find independence from him, so that they may one day have a more balanced relationship, however that may be.

It could be possible to simply not have Nora date anyone, but she and Ren lived together, so that would just lead back into their old trappings. No, Nora needed to spend time away from Ren. Perhaps the time away will foster a new romantic love, as absence made the heart grow fonder. Or it could bolster Nora's revelation just minutes ago.

Weiss banked on the latter, although there was always a chance…

If she was right, then Nora needed to look for someone else. Neptune was an adequate person to have a first relationship, with Sun vouching for him.

Jaune doesn't want to go through this whole cycle again, and Weiss understood that. That's why she's setting him with Ren, it should be sufficiently different enough that it wouldn't feel like a rut.

Ren had never shown attraction to the opposite sex before, Weiss had noted. He frequently stared blankly in a direction with no women in sight, even despite the total hotties everywhere. Weiss would have to test the waters and see for sure if her hypothesis was correct.

Weiss picked up another chip and bit into it. She smiled when Sun sat down next to her, only for Neptune to sit on the opposite side. She rolled her eyes.

Sun wanted to help Neptune, and he wanted to learn how to date from her, and thus a first relationship would be fulfilling that. She would have to get rid of Neptune and throw him towards Nora.

"Neptune, do you want to date a girl?"

"Yeah, I want to date you, Snow Angel," Neptune smiled as he leaned back in his seat, a lollipop in his mouth, his eyes never breaking eye contact with her. He made a strange purring sound as he finished his sentence.

"Why are you purring?"

"It's a growl, and makes me seem more… dangerous," he pulled the lollipop out and gave another smirk, never blinking, "You have beautiful eyes, Weiss. Like little pools of the ocean."

Weiss blinked, frowned, sighed, then turned to Sun, "Did you put him up to this?"

Sun shook his head, "Not me. He was talking to Ren and Jaune earlier."

"Jaune is a good student, he may be dense, but he's learned enough to know that whatever that—" she pointed at Neptune, who was combing his hair into a stereotypical Mistrali delinquent style, while still staring at her, "Is beyond idiotic."

"I always saw him as your straight man," Sun added in.

"Exactly, he can't have done this. Therefore it must have been Ren," Weiss frowned, "But for what reason? He always was an enigma, having no allegiances except to Nora…" her eyes widened, "I see!"

"What?" Neptune asked, "I mean, s'up?"

Weiss ignored him, "Ren wants Neptune to fail, thus allowing him and Nora to be the only path left!" she snapped her fingers, "He's good."

"Wait what?" Neptune's hands were then grabbed by Weiss.

"Come on," Weiss grinned, "Let's get you a date."

"Woah!" Neptune was dragged off, leaving the blonde faunus to sigh. Sun's tail flicked back and forth as he waited for his turn to bowl.

* * *

"You sit here, and Nora sits here," Weiss brought the two of them to an empty table away from the bowling lanes, "I think it's finally time to be upfront. Neptune, I want you to date Nora. Nora, I want you to date Neptune."

"What?!" Nora yelped, "But I just had a whole introspective moment and self realization! It's too early for me to get back in the dating scene!"

"Can't go back if you were never there," Weiss quipped, "So? Give it a shot. That pinball game over there is new by the way. Here are some quarters."

Weiss then left them alone with a large sack of coins.

Neptune peered into the bag, "There must be a hundred Lien worth of coins in here."

Nora nodded, "I've never panhandled anywhere close to this."

* * *

"Jaune! Ren! I need you two!" Weiss dragged both of them to another empty table and plopped down some coins, "Go into the arcade and play some games together. You'll know what to do next."

She then left them.

* * *

Sun frowned at Weiss as she plopped herself down into her seat and relaxed in an unladylike fashion, "So you want Jaune and Ren together? That's not going to work out at all."

"Why do you think that?" Weiss asked. The arcade games were a short detour, as their bowling game was only two rounds from being finished.

"Jaune isn't into guys, and I'm pretty sure Ren has his eyes set on someone else."

Weiss snorted, "No he doesn't. I haven't seen Ren look at any woman since we started Beacon. And that is a feat."

"Yeah, I see what you mean," Sun nodded, "But I figured out why he doesn't."

"Do tell."

"It's not my place to, and it also goes against my current goal."

"Your goal is to set Neptune up with me. Why would Ren factor in at all?" she frowned.

"You really don't see it, huh? And Yang said Jaune was dense," he shook his head.

"That reminds me," Weiss pulled out her scroll and dialed, "How are you doing?"

"Gah! Why is it impossible to date Kuro-chan! I've maxed out every stat, clicked all the right choices, and even played all the damn mini games!" Yang groaned from the scroll.

"Did you fail the fifth battle? You're supposed to do that."

"... You're shitting me. I hate this game."

Weiss shrugged, "You wanted to play a dating sim with a strategy element."

"I'll call you later," Yang hung up.

Weiss dialed Ruby, "How are you?"

"Fine! I'm fine! Just peachy!" her partner's voice faltered over the scroll. Ruby then hung up.

"I'm going to have to look into that later," Weiss mumbled. She turned back to Sun, "Anyways, you were saying that Ren likes someone else?"

"Yeah," Sun sighed, "You'll figure it out, maybe."

Eventually, the games ended, and so did their bout of bowling. Weiss finished with a score over 200, while everyone else lingered below 100.

As their Bullhead made its way back to Beacon, Jaune asked, "What exactly was the point of going out to bowl anyways? We could have done all the stuff we did anywhere. The actual bowling was—"

"Superfluous!" Nora grinned and ran up to them, "Ren's word-a-day calendar," she added.

"Right, that."

Weiss frowned, "A change of pace leads to new lines of thinking, as was my intention. One out of three of my goals were met, which was disappointing, but not terrible," she shrugged.

"Yeah," Nora scratched her head, "Neppy and I just aren't that compatible. What was your third goal?"

"'Neppy'?" Jaune mouthed. Weiss shrugged.

"It's a secret, but," Weiss wrapped her arm around Nora and pulled her in. She whispered, "It was for Ren."

"Ooooh," Nora whispered back, "You and him?"

Weiss just stared back, "What?"

"If I was taken by Neptune, that only leaves you among our group."

The heiress' eyes darted around, "What about Jaune?"

"Renny's not interested in guys, silly!" Nora giggled.

"Of course he is."

"I've known him since we were kids. I was there when he hit puberty. Trust me when I say he's only interested in girls. He stares all the time when he thinks no one's looking."

"That can't be right. I haven't seen him look at anyone at Beacon," Weiss whispered, "He just stares at the wall behind me."

Nora stared blankly at Weiss. She slowly unhooked the heiress' arm from her shoulder. She kept eye contact the entire time as her face contorted. The exasperated expression on her face was something she had never made before.

"What?"

Nora blinked and sighed, "Jauney, I think Weiss is broken," she shook her head, "Of course it had to be you."

Weiss frowned, "I have no idea what is going on."

Jaune leaned towards Nora, who whispered into his ear. He replied, "I'm with Weiss. I am just as confused as she is. It makes _no sense_."

Nora swatted him, "Hey! That's my bro from another mo you're talking about!"

"I don't follow," Weiss sighed as she sat down.

Her two friends sat down in front of her, with Nora grabbing Weiss' hands, "Weiss, I'm going to be very slow, okay? Ren. Likes. you."

Weiss pursed her lips, "We're friends. He's my main wingman."

Her two friends facepalmed.

Jaune spoke slowly, "Yes but, haven't you ever wondered why he's always willing to be your wingman?" Jaune pointed out, "And he does look at you sometimes."

The heiress opened her mouth, then closed it. A minute passed before she spoke again, "Why? Why does he like me?"

Jaune shrugged, "He finds your veritable insanity charming. He's a keeper."

Nora mused, "I guess I can see it. She does remind me of someone, but I can't place my finger on it. Someone I've met?" she shrugged. Jaune coughed.

"So, what are you going to do, Weiss?" Jaune asked.

Weiss stood stock still, stiff as a board, "I… I don't know."

"Do you want to ask him out?"

"I don't know! I've never done this before!"

"What," Jaune frowned, "Of course you have. You told me yourself you've conquered dozens of men and women."

"In games! All of it in games!" she squeaked out.

"Are you telling me," Jaune held his voice steadily, "That you had the same amount of dating experience as I had when we started this?"

She nodded.

"..." Jaune paused for a moment. Weiss and Nora held their breaths. Then he replied, "On the one hand, I'm disappointed and felt like I should have seen this coming when you said you'd conquered hundreds of men and women. On the other hand, I'm impressed on how far we've gotten and I'm… thankful?"

He frowned, "Yeah, thankful, for the relationships I've had, even if they didn't last. You were a great mentor, but now I'm afraid, the student has surpassed the teacher," he gave her a shit-eating grin.

Weiss gaped before realizing what was going on. A smirk blossomed over her face, "Well, my dear and worldly teacher, what shall be my first lesson?"

"Lesson one," Jaune started, "Asking someone out on a date. First thing you need is confidence. The second thing you need is your target to have a high enough attraction, without any baggage. That seems to be the case right now, so let's get you two together," he stood up.

"Now?" Weiss blanched.

"No time like the present. He's been trying to date you since yesterday, let's trip him up a bit by asking him out first," Jaune held out a hand. Weiss looked at it. She took a deep breath and grabbed it.

The three of them walked over to where Ren was sitting, eyes closed in a meditative state. Nora whispered in Jaune's ear, who whispered back. Jaune then told Weiss, "Be upfront. Be you. That's who he likes. But above all, be confident."

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" Neptune walked up to them.

"Shhh!" Nora and Jaune grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back, "Sorry Neppy, but it's over."

Neptune looked over to see Weiss waking Ren up by poking him on the forehead. The realization struck him, "I see."

"Don't worry," Jaune said, "There are plenty of fish in the sea. Besides, you probably wouldn't last with her zaniness for long. It's an acquired taste."

Neptune nodded. He frowned and asked Nora, "You're okay with Ren being with someone else?"

"Yeah," she smiled, "I'm happy that he's happy. Besides," she grabbed both him and Jaune by the necks, "This means I don't need to be faithful and can experiment!"

Jaune sighed, "Nora, no."

She pouted, "Fine. I'll find someone else to explore my growing sexuality."

Neptune asked, "Why am I being dragged? You don't find me attractive."

"It would've been weird to grab one boy's neck, you know?"

"Quiet you two," Jaune hushed them.

* * *

"Weiss what are you doing?" Ren asked as he meditated. Or at least he tried to, since Weiss was poking him in the forehead.

"Waking you up."

"A person meditating is still awake."

"Oh," Weiss said.

"Is there something you wanted to ask?" Ren asked.

"Um yes. But I can come back when you're not busy," she tittered.

"It's fine. Meditation is best when one isn't," Ren said.

"Okay so," she scratched her arm and rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, "Jaune and Nora have told me a lot of stuff regarding our relationship standing and they told me to go in and change our current status," she took a deep breath, "Jaune's now my new mentor, with him being more practiced in certain areas of life than me. Nora was able to piece together the disparate facts and posit to me the conclusion and um…"

Weiss paused. Ren looked directly at her and gave a soft smile.

She steeled herself and took another breath. Her lips parted and her vocal chords began to vibrate, "Do you want to go out with me sometime?"

Ren smiled, "Yes. I would love that."

Behind them, Nora cheered and Jaune smiled. Ren and Weiss looked at their friends and chuckled.

* * *

The six of them came back to Beacon to see Ruby and Yang wrestling each other in the student lounge.

"Who? Who corrupted my sweet, innocent little sister with this garbage?!" Yang screamed as she pulled Ruby into a headlock, "Blake must have done it, it has to be!"

"Where did you get that filth on the computer? Was it Weiss? It was her wasn't it! She's violated my kind and mature older sister!" Ruby squirmed her way out and kicked her sister in the shins.

"No you're the one that's been corrupted!"

"No you!"

"Give me back my keyboard, I need to conquer Kuro-chan!"

"After you give me back my book! I want to know if Brie and Salmon get together!"

"Never!"

Jaune and Weiss grabbed Yang while Ren and Nora pulled Ruby apart from each other.

**ROUTE COMPLETE**

**White Lotus End Achieved**

**Continue? [Yes/No]**

**Are you sure?**

* * *

Chapter Six: WHAT?! Even the Mentor Character Has a Route?! The Protagonist is a Wingman?! White Hair and Black! Can Unexpected Love Stack?! A Quiet Love Makes a Big Move! Fight On, Ren-san!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> inb4 someone complains how Yang was totally unreasonable about her relationship goals. How dare you think someone who only wants marriage to attain prestige, power, and noble titles is unreasonable? (sarcasm).
> 
> After the Coco chapter (the next one) will be three more "main story" chapters (only one of which is the interlude).


End file.
